


Thirsty

by Clytemnestrasrevenge



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, And Taemin lol, Big surprise, Biting, Blood Drinking, Bloodplay, Daddy Kink, Edging, Explicit Language, Hurt/Comfort, Into the Mix, Just Strap in Cuz this is Atrocious, Let's Call a Spade a Spade and add, Light BDSM, M/M, Marking, Mild Age Regression, Mildly Dubious Consent, Multi, Obsessive Behavior, Pining, Possessive Behavior, Psychic Bond, Random EXO Appearances, Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Tagging anything else would be spoilers so I’m going to shush, They're Evil Cuz It's Sexy Duh, Thralls, Vampire Sex, Vampires Have Special Powers, jaehwan is a sub, my usual bullshit, not exactly non-con but I'll leave that up to your discretion, thigh riding, was supposed to be a one shot and here we are, will update tags as i write
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2020-08-23 11:48:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20242363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clytemnestrasrevenge/pseuds/Clytemnestrasrevenge
Summary: He was close to home, maybe three blocks, when he heard it.*I've fixed it*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *Think RookBook Wonshik and Muse Taekwoon*  
Because I saw this video and couldn't think about anything else for several hours. That's how we ended up here. Please, enjoy <3
>
>> EXCUSE ME WHAT ARE WONSHIK AND TAEKWOON DOING TO JAEHWAN [pic.twitter.com/PxoV2vneY9](https://t.co/PxoV2vneY9)
>> 
>> — 💙💚💙 i ken do it 💚💙💚 #vacay #waytoyou🤘 (@jyanies) [November 23, 2017](https://twitter.com/jyanies/status/933496786286731264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

◤◤ ◤◤

◤◤ ◤◤

Jaehwan shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, trying to stave off the chill creeping into his bones. Work was awful, it was always awful but today had been _particularly_ unpleasant. Hour upon hour of ceaseless boredom, staring at the clock on the convenience store wall and counting the seconds until he would be free. Life for Jaehwan was really nothing but a blur of monotony. 

The only thing that brightened up Jaehwan’s days was Sanghyuk. The bestest best friend anyone could ask for. His giant, adorable, still-at-uni best friend. Jaehwan missed him terribly, longed for the warmth of his enormous arm snug around Jaehwan’s shoulders. He wished he could have seen his best friend tonight, binged on video games and crashed on the couch. But alas, Sanghyuk had midterms in a few days and was _'drowning in studying, Hyung, I swear chem is going to be the death of me',_ so he wasn't available.

The only thing waiting for Jaehwan was his empty apartment. And his cat, he supposed, but his cat hated him. 

He was close to home, maybe three blocks, when he heard it. A whisper of sound somewhere just behind him. Jaehwan whipped his head around but the street was completely empty. _Weird. _

Jaehwan kept walking, picking up his pace a bit between the pools of illumination cast by the streetlights. He didn’t like being out in the middle of the night. Darkness freaked Jaehwan out.

There it was again, a whisper- no, a _hiss._ In front of him this time. Like a breeze wafting over an open notebook and rustling the pages. Jaehwan tried not to breathe too loudly as he took a few quick steps backwards towards the nearest streetlight. 

“Why hello there, beautiful stranger,” a deep voice said quietly from behind him, just as his back collided with something, or someone, solid. Jaehwan hadn’t reached the light yet so it wasn’t the pole. He wasn’t actually stupid enough to think it was the pole he’d walked into, but whoever it was, they were so _ cold. _

Jaehwan’s eyes widened, his breath quickened. He didn’t move or try to turn around, what would be the point of that? No reason to look at the monster when it already had him in its clutches. 

A large, slim fingered hand slowly wrapped around his waist. Jaehwan felt breath on the back of his neck. The urge to scream, the cry building in his throat was right there. It was right there, the scream, but no sound came. _It_ was right there, the monster was _right there,_ it was touching him. 

“Stop playing with your food, Shik. You are scaring the hell out of him, and you know that always spoils the taste.”

There was more than one. That voice was higher, breathier, somewhere to his right. _Shit, shit, shit-_

“Mm but it’s so much fun…”

The first one again, the one holding him. It was purring in Jaehwan’s ear, he could _feel_ it. 

A blur of motion in the dark, so fast Jaehwan could barely see it, and a blonde boy in blue was standing a few inches in front of him. It couldn’t have been more than twenty-six, looked perfectly human, all but the eyes. Its eyes were bright silver, glowing in the night like beacons. 

Instinct forced Jaehwan to take a step back, or _ try, _to move as far away from the predator as possible. But _instinct_ hadn’t taken the thing behind him into account. Jaehwan felt it wrap its other hand around his waist, the boy in blue took a step closer. It tilted its head slightly and looked him in the eye. Jaehwan flinched. 

“I think we should take this one home, see what you think,” it said in a quiet voice, flicking its silver eyes up to the thing behind him. That one was the most clear and present danger in Jaehwan’s panicked opinion. It was holding him. Touching him. Breathing on him. He needed to get away, but he couldn’t move. He couldn’t make himself move, it felt like Jaehwan had been paralyzed. 

Jaehwan was spun around before he had a chance to process what the monster said. His face now only inches away from a striking boy in a suit. It parted its lips slightly, looking Jaehwan up and down and shaking its dark hair from its golden eyes before saying, “Oh we are _absolutely_ taking this one home, but I’m thirsty now…” 

Its deep voice sent chills down Jaehwan’s spine.

Jaehwan felt the boy in blue lay a hand on his shoulder. He shivered with revulsion, the animal part of his brain rejecting the monster's touch, his nerves screaming at him to run to flee to hide. The thing, now behind him, pressed its lips lightly against the sensitive skin of his neck. 

He stood frozen, fright coursing through his veins as he stared into the dark-haired ones’ eyes. The gold seemed to almost swirl, like looking directly into the sun. The hair on Jaehwan’s nape stood on end, the blonde thing trialing feather-light kisses across his flesh. 

“Please… let me go,” he managed, trying his hardest not to cry. His heart beat out a ragged rhythm on the inside of his ribcage, whimpering as the one holding him began to laugh. 

“No, no you’re much too scrumptious for that.”

Jaehwan felt a sharp pain in the side of his neck, but before he had time to react, the dark-haired thing leaned its head down on his other side and he felt the same pain, and then everything went black. 

◤◤ ◤◤

Jaehwan’s eyes fluttered open. Had he been asleep? Was that all just a horrifying nightmare?

He turned his head one way and then the other, realizing with a fresh rush of fright that he was in an unfamiliar room, laying on a large, unfamiliar bed. He quickly sat up, trying to get his bearings but dizziness overwhelmed him almost immediately. It felt like he was drunk. Or had a concussion. Jaehwan fell back against the pillows, pressing a finger to his temple and trying to rub the ache from his head. Where the hell was he?!

“Oh good, you’re finally awake,” that same, unfamiliar deep voice crooned. 

Jaehwan froze, squeezing his eyes shut. Not daring to look. But he had too. He _had_ to look at the monster. It hadn’t been a bad dream after all, a nightmare come to life. 

“Drink this, beautiful stranger.”

The mattress to the left of him compressed and he forced his eyes open. It took some effort. 

It was the dark-haired thing with the golden eyes, and it was holding out a glass of water in Jaehwan’s direction. The smile on its face was startlingly soft, not the kind of smile a monster should be able to carry off. 

Jaehwan snatched the glass from the monster and downed it, his throat was so dry, like a desert of sandpaper. He hadn’t even considered… the thing could have drugged the glasses contents! Or poisoned it! Jaehwan knew better than to accept a drink from a stranger but he had just... _ Fuck. _

He tried to speak, failed, cleared his throat and tried again. 

“W-where am I?” Jaehwan asked, voice nothing more than a croak as the monster took the glass and set it on a bedside table. 

“In our home. More specifically, you’re in the guest bedroom.”

High, breathy, the blonde one. Jaehwan turned, finding the blonde monster staring at him from a seat across the room. Great, _both_ monsters were real. Jaehwan seriously couldn’t catch a break. 

“Shh,” the brunette murmured, brushing Jaehwan’s fringe out of his eyes and shifting closer. “We won’t hurt you.”

“You… you _ bit _ me,” Jaehwan mumbled, trying to scoot away from the monster beside him. 

“What’s your name? We’ll tell you ours. I’m Taekwoon,” the blonde thing said, ignoring his words and moving to the foot of the bed faster than Jaehwan could blink.

“And I’m Wonshik.”

After some hesitation, Jaehwan decided that it would be easiest for him to just give these monsters what they wanted. Then he might be able to get out of this hell faster. “Jaehwan.”

“That’s a lovely name,” the dark-haired one, Wonshik said, petting Jaehwan’s cheek with the pads of its fingers. Jaehwan shied away from it, the touch.

“Stop doing that, Shik. It sounds like he’s about to have a heart attack.”

The blonde one, Taekwoon, watched him closely, its silver eyes were glowing dimly. Nothing like the intensity from before. It must be _ full, _Jaehwan thought with a shudder of revulsion. “Have you ever met a vampire before?” Taekwoon asked, sitting lightly on the opposite edge of the bed and folding its hands in its lap. 

Jaehwan shook his head, gaze flicking from one monster to the other. He didn’t dare take his eyes off either for too long. “Oh, you’re _very_ new! Odd, considering you smell like... So, you haven’t seen fangs before either?”

“How the fuck would I have seen fangs without seeing a vampire? Are you stu- oh _ shit!” _ Jaehwan started, terror loosening his tongue. The insult died before it left his mouth. Wonshik, it parted its lips slightly, its eyes beginning to glow that dark gold as its K-9’s elongated into _ actual fangs _that pressed lightly against its bottom lip. 

Jaehwan scrambled back, needed to get away from that, away from that _danger._ His back was pressed flat to the oak headboard, knees tucked against his chest, hands curled around his own neck in some poor attempt at protection. He was at home, still sleeping, tucked in his warm bed and having a nightmare. That settled it. Sanghyuk was going to start banging on the door any minute now and wake him up. Tell him he had overslept and was late for work. That had to be it. This couldn’t be happening to him.

“I think you broke him,” Taekwoon murmured. Wonshik’s teeth mercifully returned to normal, eyes dimming from molten to flat. Jaehwan knew vampires existed, lived among them, but hunting was illegal, they _couldn’t_ just kidnap him like this! It wasn’t allowed! 

_ Give them what they want, just give them what they want, and they’ll let you go, _Jaehwan repeated in his head. 

“Come, we’ll take you to meet our family,” Wonshik said softly, pulling Jaehwan’s hands off his throat with a gentleness that was unbecoming for a monster. It should grab, yank, snatch. Not cradle his hands like it cared about his state of mind. 

“There’s _ more _ of you?!” Jaehwan squeaked, trying to get to his feet with as much dignity as possible. It didn’t work out too well, legs turning to jelly the moment he stood. He was still woozy from _ blood loss. _

“Mm, two more,” Taekwoon replied, looking on with mild interest as its friend scooped Jaehwan into its arms. 

Jaehwan gasped in surprise. One second, he had been falling, and the next he was being held bridal style in the dark-haired monsters embrace. “How do you move so fast,” he asked, hesitantly holding on to Wonshik’s jacket as he was carried from the room. _ Just give them what they want, _he reminded himself. 

“We’re very fast, and very strong,” Taekwoon answered with a grin. It walked at Wonshik’s side, rings on its fingers glittering as it brushed the strands of blonde from its eyes. 

“And, why did you kidnap me off the street? If you don’t mind me asking?” Jaehwan said, trying to speak in a less shaky voice. They already had their meal; he'd felt the track marks on his neck. Maybe they wanted to lock him up somewhere in here, keep him around like a Redbull vending machine for whenever they needed an energy boost. Jaehwan didn’t want to entertain that notion, but he couldn’t think of another reason. 

“We would like to get to know you more intimately,” Taekwoon replied, turning that silver gaze on Jaehwan. It was so incredibly beautiful. _Too_ beautiful. Inhumanly beautiful, Jaehwan contemplated, losing track of his train of thought. The train had switched tracks entirely. “What are you looking at?”

“You- your face, I just… I don’t know, I…” he started, trailing off as he began to feel lightheaded again. His eyelids felt heavy, breath shallow, brain sluggish. It was like he was going to pass out. 

“Knock it off, Taek,” Wonshik said with a laugh, Taekwoon grinning as it looked away.

“What just happened?” Jaehwan asked faintly, shaking his head a bit to try and clear it.

“He started to glamour you. If we hold eye contact with a human for long enough, we can kind of hypnotize them. It’s part of how we hunt.” Wonshik answered in a soothing voice. “But don’t worry, we won’t do it to you on purpose. Sometimes we can’t help it though, it’s an instinct.”

That wasn’t a comforting idea at all, but Jaehwan swallowed his retort as the three of them entered a large dining room. Lots of dark wood, antique ornamentation. Jaehwan’s heartbeat quickened, he could _ feel _the other monsters in the room before he could see them.

“Gentlemen, we have a guest.”

“We know, we can smell it,” an indecently handsome thing said, appearing in front of them so fast that Jaehwan winced.

“This is Jaehwan, our new friend.”

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hey there, it's 3am and this happened. so... enjoy? unbeta'd, I'll probably fix typos after I sleep if I can bring myself to reread this mess

“Aren’t you going to say hello?”

The thing who approached first smiled a smile that was much to fangie for Jaehwan’s liking. He held onto Wonshik a bit tighter, trying to ignore the way every cell in his body was screaming at him to run. Running wouldn’t do any good right then. With the speed these monsters could move, Jaehwan had no doubt he’d be dead before his feet touched the floor.

“Hello,” it said, chocolate brown hair glimmering and silver eyes watching. It’s skin was so pale in the dim light. Like fucking death. “My name is Hongbin.”

Jaehwan squeaked, hiding is face against Wonshik’s shoulder and trying his absolute hardest to disappear. “Stop it Bin, put your fangs away. You’re scaring him.”

“I’m not trying to scare him. Why is he so scared?”

That one, the one named Bin, freaked Jaehwan out to no end. It would certainly be one to watch. And watch closely.

“Because you’re acting like you’re going to eat him,” the other monster in the room said. It stood from its chair and turned, voice snappy and impatient as it moved toward Jaehwan and monsters crowded around him.

“You’re such a buzzkill,” the Bin one retorted, darting away and seating itself on a chair in the span of a single heartbeat. The speed was absolutely _unnerving. _It was something Jaehwan didn’t think he would ever get used too.

“Shut it and eat, Hongbin,” the newest monster said, reaching a hand out for Jaehwan to shake, but he shied away. Having one of them touching him at a time was plenty. “My name is Hakyeon. There’s no need to be frightened of me. I look after all of these imbeciles, so if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

Jaehwan peeked at it, feeling himself begin to shiver. He was cold, his body was cold, and the monster holding him was like a moving ice sculpture. Hastily, Jaehwan nodded. All these eyes on him were starting to make him even more panicky than before.

“Are you feeding it?” the new one, Hakyeon, asked, glancing at Taekwoon with shrewd silver eyes. They all had silver eyes other than Wonshik, Jaehwan thought blandly. He wondered what color eyes he’d be looking into when he died.

At Taekwoon’s shrug, Hakyeon huffed loudly. “You have to feed them afterward, their bodies are weak,” it chastised, muttering “Amateurs,” under its breath before turning back to Jaehwan. “Are you hungry?”

Jaehwan realized that he was in fact hungry. Ravenously so. “Yes, but I- I can’t eat blood…” he replied, trailing off as the thing's striking good looks distracted him. Hakyeon looked warm. Everything about it seemed warm, its eyes, its caramel skin, its honey hair.

Taekwoon laughed lightly, saying “We eat human food as well as drinking blood, it’s just something we have to do every now and then to survive.” Jaehwan pondered that concept, glancing over to the table and finding a rather elaborate spread. Everything from chicken to fried rice to spaghetti, each dish elaborately presented on what was clearly expensive china.

“Weird…” Jaehwan hummed quietly, as Wonshik carried him over to the table. The monster took a seat, settling Jaehwan on its lap as Taekwoon sat beside them. They both began to eat, each feeding Jaehwan small bites so as not to upset his ‘delicate human stomach’.

◤◤ ◤◤

The meal was over, plates cleared away, and now Jaehwan -plus the four monsters- were lounging around the table with glasses of red wine. Jaehwan wasn’t drinking. No way in hell was he going to allow anything to make his reflexes sluggish in a place like this. He would have to be the stupidest person on the planet to agree to that.

So, he had declined the proffered glass as politely as possible, pointedly ignoring the glances that Bin thing, or Hongbin as he had learned a few minutes ago, was shooting him. Every time it did, Jaehwan pressed himself a little closer to Wonshik. He wasn’t even sure why, Wonshik had attacked him after all. But in a room full of monsters, Jaehwan decided that he might as well pick the nicest one and stick as close to it as possible.

A cellphone began to ring, the discordant noise echoing off the high ceilings as Hongbin pulled it from his pocket. That phone was a sight for sore eyes. Jaehwan looked at it intently, maybe if he could snatch it, he could get a message to Sanghyuk! Or better yet, the police!

Hongbin swiped its thumb across the screen, holding the phone flat on its palm like a waiter with a drinks tray.

“What do you want, brat?”

_‘Shut up, give mom the phone. He’s not answering my calls.’_

Jaehwan’s blood ran cold. That was Sanghyuk’s voice. _His_ Sanghyuk’s voice. He’d know it anywhere! So why in the name of all that’s holy was his best friend calling a vampire?!

Hakyeon took the phone with a small smile.

“Sorry I missed you, darling. What do you need?”

_‘I’ve lost my juice box.’_

“Pardon?”

_‘You know, my human. I don’t know where he is.’_

Hakyeon’s eyes flicked to Jaehwan and then to Taekwoon, before it looked down at the phone in its hand.

“Why would I know where your human is?”

_‘Because,’ _Sanghyuk replied, using the sarcastic tone that Jaehwan knew so well, _‘When I didn’t find him at home, I retraced his path from work, and it reeks of Taeky. And Shik, now that I stop to think.’_

There was a pause.

“What’s your human’s name?”

_‘Jaehwan. His name is Lee Jaehwan. Also, he’s like my best human friend so I sincerely hope they didn’t kill him.’_

Hakyeon stared across the table, tilting its head, its eyes moving quickly between Taekwoon and Wonshik. “Are you two aware that you stole your brother’s human? Did you do it on purpose?”

“No, we just picked one randomly… One whose been bitten but isn’t marked. The kind you taught us were best to go after,” Taekwoon replied, remaining steady in the face of Hakyeon’s frosty anger.

_‘Did you seriously steal my juice box?!’ _Sanghyuk’s digitized voice exclaimed through the phone.

“Why didn’t you claim him?! He wasn’t marked, it was fair game!” Wonshik called back. It was hugging Jaehwan a bit closer, and that forced the human back to his senses.

“Hyuk-ah,” he managed, the name sounding like nothing more than a squeak.

_‘Hwannie hyung?! You’re alright?’_

“Hyuk-ah, there are monsters everywhere, help me!”

Hakyeon sighed, waving a hand at Taekwoon as it murmured, “Glamour him, please.”

“Jaehwan,” Taekwoon crooned, one slender hand curving around Jaehwan’s cheek. “Jaehwan, look at me.”

“No. No, _no _wait Hyuk-ah!” Jaehwan squeaked, keeping his eyes fixed on the phone. He didn’t understand what was happening, didn’t know why Sanghyuk was calling these vampires. Why he was referring to Jaehwan as his _juice box. _But Sanghyuk was still his best friend and Jaehwan needed him if he had any hope of escaping alive.

“Jaehwan,” Taekwoon repeated, gently but firmly turning Jaehwan’s face so their eyes met. The vampire's swirling silver gaze snared him, the cry in his throat choking off on a sob.

“Just relax, Love,” Wonshik murmured. It ran its hand up and down Jaehwan’s arm, petting.

Jaehwan’s brain went fuzzy, molten silver pools swirling, gently lulling him into a stupor. His head lolled, resting on Wonshik’s shoulder as he looked into Taekwoon’s smiling face. He felt sleepy and warm, half conscious that the vampire had raised its body temperature to make him more comfortable. Jaehwan could still hear the conversation happening around him, but it didn’t seem all that interesting anymore.

“What are you going to do with him now? I won’t have you all fighting over your food.”

“If Sanghyuk wanted him, he should have marked him.”

_‘I was going to eventually, but I always got distracted.’_

“Too late, he’s ours now and we’re going to keep him.”

_‘You’ve already marked him!?’_

“Well… no. But we have every intension of doing so. Go find a new juice box.”

_‘You’re all such dicks! Leave him coherent enough that I can kick his ass at videogames tomorrow.’_

Jaehwan heard the phone click, blinking slow. He felt himself smile, humming as Taekwoon stroked his cheek. “Thirsty,” he mumbled, reaching for Wonshik’s wineglass, but it was swiped away and settled on the other side of the table.

“No drinking while he’s glamoured. We’re going to set up some ground rules if he’s staying here, and that’s one of them.”

“Thirsty,” Jaehwan repeated, pouting his lips and listening to Wonshik’s deep laugh. He tried to sip the glass of water he was handed with something akin to dignity, but all that ended up happening was him spilling a bit on his shirt. Had he missed his mouth? What had they been talking about? What was happening?

The glass was removed from his hand but Jaehwan didn’t notice. Taekwoon’s eyes were so pretty, like silver ponds. Jaehwan thought he saw a little fish swimming in one of them, ripples spreading out from his jet-black pupils.

“Woonie?” he mumbled, leaning into the slender hand still cradling his cheek. The vampire smiled back at him. Had it inched a bit closer?

“Yes, Jaehwan?”

“Are you, like… a million years old?”

Taekwoon laughed, a soft breathy laugh like tinkling bells. “No, I’m two hundred and sixty-four.”

“So… you’re my hyung?”

“More like great great great grandfather,” the Hongbin one muttered, but Jaehwan didn’t hear it. He was feeling woozy. _Super _woozy.

“I’m only twenty-six,” he replied, head swirling, lashes fluttering. The arms around him had tightened considerably, his muscles feeling slack and eyes heavy. Taekwoon had definitely gotten closer. Jaehwan could have counted its freckles if it had any.

“Hey, uh… Taek? You might want to ease off-“

Jaehwan’s eyes slid shut, like he was dozing, the world and dark dining room shifting to blackness.

“-too late.”

◤◤ ◤◤

Jaehwan blinked his eyes open. He was in the same bedroom as earlier, head throbbing like nobodies fucking business. He turned his head and saw Taekwoon sitting on a low chair, its legs crossed as it read a book. Bitterblue? It was hard to tell from this angle, but Jaehwan thought that could be what the cover said.

He began to sit up, Taekwoon perching on the side of the bed in a flash, supporting Jaehwan’s back with one hand and smiling kindly at him. “You’re awake,” it said softly, propping the human up against a pillow and brushing his hair behind his ear. Jaehwan tried to avoid looking at it, not wanting to get hypnotized _again, _so he looked down and noticed that he was wearing… _not _his clothes. Black silk had taken the place of his cotton sweater, a size too large with mother of peal buttons down the front.

“Where did my clothes go? When did I change? I can’t remember anything, what happened?” Jaehwan asked, feeling very confused. Groggy. He ran a hand over the slippery fabric, looking up and focusing on the midpoint between Taekwoon’s eyebrows.

That wasn’t entirely true. He remembered the dining room, and eating chicken, and those other two. He remembered Hongbin scaring him witless and that Hakyeon one actually being sort of polite? But there was nothing else, like his memories had been clouded over and replaced with fog.

“Oh, well, when you fell asleep at the table, your hand accidentally knocked over my wineglass, and some of it got on you. We don’t have very many clothes in your size here, so Wonshik went to buy you some. He should be back soon, but we are going to get your stuff dry cleaned,” it replied easily, adjusting the pillow behind Jaehwan’s head. He fell asleep… he spilled wine… wait…

“If I was asleep then how did I change clothes?!” Jaehwan asked, his voice sounding a bit panicked as he looked up at the monster.

It was smiling shyly, tone soft as it replied, “Well, I changed your clothes for you, but I moved full speed, I promise.” Its voice was so soothing, and it _could _move very quickly. But still, that was so embarrassing! And very not okay!

“I can’t believe you took my clothes off while I was asleep!” Jaehwan exclaimed, scooting away from it as far as he could, which wasn’t actually all that far. Taekwoon smiled again, and a second later it was on the other side of the bed. Right next to him, leaning back against the pillows with its legs crossed and arms behind its head.

“You hold me to high moral standards, considering I drank your blood and essentially kidnapped you this evening,” it said, voice sounding as silky as Jaehwan’s new pajamas. That smile had turned to a smirk.

Jaehwan was so startled by the sudden movement that he froze, just staring at the monster’s beautiful face. Its hair looked so soft, skin was so smooth and pale, silver eyes were so bright. Its cherry lips parted slightly, rolling onto its side and peering closely at the human.

“You looked lovely in blue, in your little sweater, but you look stunning in black,” it said, voice like liquid satin as it slowly inched closer. _He, _Jaehwan supposed. Taekwoon was a monster but he appeared to be a boy monster. It would have been polite to ask, but Jaehwan couldn’t muster the energy it would take to be polite just then. Not when Taekwoon’s nose was about a centimeter away from brushing against his own.

He carded a hand through Jaehwan’s hair, looking down at the human’s lips. Jaehwan didn’t know what was happening or why, this whole _situation _was making him feel… odd. Off kilter. But Taekwoon was so _beautiful, _he couldn’t think about anything else.

Slowly, Jaehwan reached out a hand and lightly brushed it across the monster’s high cheekbone, wanting to know if his skin was as soft as it looked. It _was._ The corner of Taekwoon’s mouth twitched up slightly as the human continued to touch his cheek, totally and completely mesmerized.

Jaehwan shifted a little on the bed, raising his hand up to the fringe of Taekwoon’s blonde hair and brushed it off his forehead. It felt like strands of spidersilk, or whatever clouds were made of. Jaehwan’s brain was getting all confused again and he didn’t like it, but there wasn’t much he could do about it just then.

He trailed his finger along the monster’s bottom lip, supple, plush, tinted the shade of a deep cabernet. They had been drinking wine, it could be stain? Or maybe vampire’s lips were naturally that color. More enticing for their prey.

Jaehwan looked back up at his moonlight eyes as he carefully leaned towards him, closer. Closer. He felt those lips press against his own, easy and slow, and he closed he eyes.

The kiss that followed was like nothing Jaehwan had ever felt before, it sent tingles down to his toes, fingers trembling against the monster’s chest. He vaguely registered Taekwoon’s hand tangling itself in his hair as he pulled Jaehwan closer, deepening the kiss a bit and laying the other hand on his hip.

He was being so gentle, it surprised Jaehwan. Taekwoon didn’t seem like the gentle type, monsters weren’t gentle. Or… maybe he _was _the gentle type. The human’s heart was racing as he pulled away, needing to catch his breath. Needing to get his baring’s, somehow find balance in the midst of the turbulent sea he had just plunged into headfirst.

Jaehwan allowed his eyes to flutter open, watching Taekwoon watch him through heavy lids. The monster’s tongue darted out, moistening his lip and then he drew Jaehwan back, kissing him like he could drink the life from Jaehwan’s mouth. The human gasped, breath hitching and lips parting of their own accord. Taekwoon’s tongue slipped into his mouth, gently probing, moving in sync with his own. Jaehwan, overwhelmed by the heady rush of it all, ran his fingers over Taekwoon’s collar bones in an attempt to remind himself that he wasn’t actually having an out of body experience. This was really happening. He was _kissing a vampire._

An exceedingly _beautiful_ vampire though, and despite knowing how much he shouldn’t, the desire igniting inside his ribcage was slowly but surely winning over his fear. He wanted more. Jaehwan’s hands found their way under Taekwoon’s shirt, needing to feel more of him, and then the garment was just gone. The human heard a soft puff, the shirt landing on the floor somewhere to his left, but that _speed _was something else.

Fingers tripping across the vampire’s bare chest, Jaehwan half noticed that the buttons on his own silk shirt were being popped open. One by one by one until the halves hung open, exposing him to the chill. Then, those slender hands were on Jaehwan’s waist, lifting the human up and rolling onto his back. Taekwoon settled Jaehwan on his lap, sprawling with his legs bracketing the vampire, slumped down so their chests were pressed flush.

“Sit up for me, darling,” he purred in a low voice, breaking the kiss. Jaehwan complied immediately and without hesitation, pushing himself up with the hand that was resting on the vampire’s broad shoulder. Taekwoon looked at him for a few millennia, seeming to be memorizing Jaehwan’s features before easily pulling the silk from the human’s body and dropping it on the ground next to the bed.

“Come back now,” he purred again, and Jaehwan leaned back down, running his fingers through that blonde hair as Taekwoon kissed him breathless.

His hands slowly shifted from Jaehwan’s waist to his hips to his back, finally settling on the underside of his thighs. His lips moved too, lower, kissing along Jaehwan’s jaw and then lower still, along the column of Jaehwan’s neck. Over his new bitemarks marks. The sensation made the human whimper and Taekwoon smiled against his skin, apparently enjoying how docile his prey had become.

Jaehwan’s brain had gone all hazy from the pleasure. Hazy from _something, _anyway, even if he couldn’t find a name for it right then. Taekwoon was running his thumb lightly back and forth across the human’s nipple and Jaehwan couldn’t stop a soft moan the crawled its way up his throat.

“What is going on here?” Jaehwan heard someone say from behind him, but he was much too distracted to care who it was.

“Come here, Shikkie, we were just getting to know each other a bit better. Join us,” Taekwoon said, breaking the kiss momentarily before returning his attention to Jaehwan. Without any warning whatsoever, Wonshik appeared. He was laying on his side, his face very close to Jaehwan’s own, a hand on Taekwoon’s shoulder.

“I leave for thirty minutes and you just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Wonshik asked, his deep voice sounding genuinely amused. Taekwoon smiled against Jaehwan’s lips for a moment before he pulled away again. He looked at the human as he purred, “Kiss my neck, darling.”

Jaehwan did, he didn’t know why he did, why he was listening to Taekwoon, but he wanted to do it anyway so it should be alright. He lowered his head, gently brushing his lips across the vampires incredibly smooth skin. He mouthed at the spot bellow Taekwoon’s ear, nibbling a little and delighting in the quiet groan he earned.

“He started it, he touched my cheek. And anyway, you know I can never resist a boy in black,” Taekwoon said silkily, his breath coming a bit heavier as he turned his silver eyes on Wonshik.

“You’re not playing fair, baby,” Wonshik replied, laughing lightly as he carded his hand through Jaehwan’s hair. “You don’t have to do what he says, Love,” he added, peering down at the human with what was either mirth or concern.

Jaehwan wasn’t sure which but he looked up into Wonshik’s beautiful face and said quietly, “But I want too,” lifting his hand and tracing the vampire’s lower lip.

“Told you,” Taekwoon said, grinning at Wonshik before continuing, “Will you take him for a moment? I need some water.”

He lifted Jaehwan up and gently placed him next to Wonshik, off the bed and out of the room a split second later. Jaehwan was capable of nothing more than staring, head still clouded over with lust or exhaustion or whatever it was.

Wonshik leaned in and kissed the human’s lips with decidedly more force than Taekwoon, laying a hand against the small of Jaehwan’s back and pulling the human against him. Jaehwan wrapped his arms around the vampire’s neck and deepened the kiss as much as he could, wanting the urgency of it. The yearning.

In a blink, Jaehwan’s back was against the pillows, trapped between Wonshik’s arms. The movement was so fast he barely felt it, whining into Wonshik’s mouth as he registered one of the vampire’s hands trailing along his abdomen. Then down across his hip bones. Then under the waistband of his pajama pants.

“You’re so hard up, Love,” Wonshik murmured, coaxing a startled moan from the human as he let the tips of his fingers glide over Jaehwan’s length. Just once. And then lower still, slipping beneath his boxers between his spread legs. Prodding at his rim like a fucking _tease._ “Do you enjoy soft treatment, Love? Gentle kisses and featherlight caresses?” Those golden eyes were glowing again.

Jaehwan nodded, squeezing his eyes shut tight as something clicked in the back of his mind. Wonshik was going to fuck him. And Wonshik was going to fuck him dry. He didn’t actually mind the first part, Jaehwan was so turned on he thought his head might literally explode. But he’d really prefer _not _dry. It wasn’t like he could do anything about it though, brain swimming like it had been pickled in a jar. So, in the end, all Jaehwan could do was whimper when he felt two of the vampire’s long fingers push into him and begin moving in and out.

“So tight, Love,” he said, baritone voice getting slightly raspy as he moved his lips down to kiss Jaehwan’s neck, still thrusting his fingers into the human with absolutely no mercy. And it fucking burned. Jaehwan whined louder, tears welling at the corners of his eyes, cheeks aflame, lip caught between his teeth as he held onto the vampire for all he was worth. Wonshik smirked against his skin, his other hand tangling in Jaehwan’s hair and pulling it, head tilted slightly and throat exposed.

All was haze for Jaehwan, a mess of confusion and pleasure and pain. Wonshik moved faster, and the human’s moans got louder. Jaehwan could feel that hot breath against his neck, feel how that hand pulled his hair harder, that soft mouth sucking at his skin.

“You smell delicious” Wonshik purred, his voice as smooth as melted butter. Words formed against the side of Jaehwan’s throat, sending a shudder running up the length of the human’s whole body. A third finger, thrusting into him deeper and rougher, Jaehwan’s breath hitching on the loudest moan yet.

“But you taste even better,” he heard Wonshik purr, again in that silky voice, running his tongue along the base of Jaehwan’s throat. The pleasure, the pain, the sensation was overwhelming the poor human, so close, everything touch incredible. Unbelievable.

“Wonshik, _stop!”_

A sharp pain in the side of his neck as the pleasure overwhelmed Jaehwan completely. His vision flared a searing white, and then faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jaehwan blacks out a lot, the poor thing


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter, Sanghyuk, a (mostly) good kid.

Taekwoon jumped, moving as fast as he could and stopping beside the bed. 

He pulled Wonshik off their new human, grabbing his lover by the waist and shoving him up against the wall. Wonshik’s eyes were that dark gold, swirling bright. A drop of blood trickled slowly down the corner of his mouth, his fangs leaving small indentations in his bottom lip. Taekwoon watched him closely and held him _ tight, _he knew he had to wait until the bloodlust left Wonshik before his mate would be able to speak coherently. 

Wonshik growled, chest heaving as he tried to free himself and get back to the bed. The elder didn’t loosen his grip, but he did chance a glance over his shoulder. Jaehwan was covered in his own blood and a little bit of come, legs still spread apart where he was passed out in the center of the mattress. It was an inviting picture, or it _ would _be if the human were conscious. The scent of blood didn’t bother Taekwoon too much, he was old enough to have almost complete control over his thirst, but he knew it was probably driving Wonshik crazy. His mate was still young after all. 

Slowly, after several minutes of pointless struggling, Wonshik’s fangs retracted. His eyes returned to their normal dull gold, more focused now that he could no longer taste blood in his mouth, but his breathing was still heavy. “Shik, you shouldn’t have done that,” Taekwoon said in a serious voice, looking into Wonshik’s eyes. 

Wonshik’s lids lowered slightly as he peered back at the elder, lips parted around a smirk and voice husky. “You started it.” Taekwoon growled softly under his breath and pushed Wonshik against the wall harder. He _ had _started it, but Wonshik shouldn’t have gone that far, and he knew it. 

At the sound of his growl, Wonshik’s smirk turned into a devious little grin. “I’m sorry, I know I did wrong, but he’s so tasty,” his mate added, catching his own lip between his teeth and shooting a furtive glance over at the bed.

“Wonshik, you began to mark him! Without discussing it with me!” the elder snapped, all his aggravation returning now that his mate was more mentally present. 

In his head, Taekwoon had assumed that _he_ would be the one doing the marking. He was older, more experienced and possessing more control. He could have handled the entire process with seamless accuracy, caused the human as little pain as possible. Not left him screaming and half dead on their guest bed, for example. He should have known his mate would… he should have known. Wonshik could be almost infuriatingly reckless at times. The joys of youth.

Even so, having a thrall was no laughing matter. They were useful to be sure, when bonded to the right person, but marking someone was not to be done on a whim. And Taekwoon could already smell it, the change in his mate's scent. Blood may not bother him, but _ that _sure did. 

“You _ do _understand that I cannot touch him now? And that you need to finish the ritual, so he doesn’t run around half immortal and untethered?”

“You can touch him, drink him, fuck him, I don’t care,” Wonshik replied, beginning to struggle again. 

“You say that now. Wait until he’s completely your thrall and then we can discuss it.”

Some of his annoyance, hurt, whatever emotion it was must have shown on his face because his mate stopped trying to pull away. “Let me make it up to you,” Wonshik hummed, leaning forward and brushing his lips against Taekwoon's. 

Taekwoon kissed him back hungrily, tasting Jaehwan’s blood on the corner of his mates’ mouth. He slid his hands down to Wonshik’s hips and pulling him roughly against him. His mate wrapped his arms around the elder's waist and let out a soft, low moan against his lips. They needed to leave this room before something absolutely catastrophic happened.

◤◤ ◤◤

Jaehwan woke slowly. More slowly than usual. And his throat was _ so _sore. 

He lifted his head, arching back into the mattress just enough to get a good stretch. The room was empty unlike the last time he had awoken there, no vampire companions. Or kidnappers, depending on how he looked at it. Jaehwan... Jaehwan wasn’t in a very charitable mood just then. He was leaning towards kidnappers. 

The human lifted a hand to his own neck, feeling the track marks running across his skin. He couldn’t remember… or… wait. He _could_ remember, if vaguely, those golden eyes looking into his own. Fangs digging into his flesh, the feeling of being full. Too full. Fuller than he would have liked to be. And burning inside him. Not just from sex, although that would have been plenty, but something else. Like liquid fire had been injected into his veins and had tried to incinerate him from the inside out. 

It was Wonshik, the one he thought was the nicest monster of the bunch. Maybe not so nice after all. And Taekwoon... he remembered wanting the silver eyed monster so badly, a physical ache in his chest so strong it threatened to tear him apart. But his words, the way he spoke. The words had felt shiny to Jaehwan, almost iridescent, urging him to obey. To submit. He hadn’t been in control. Not really. The words had taken root in his mind and manifested into his own desires, but he didn’t put them there. 

Jaehwan felt dirty, he needed to wash the smell of vampire off his skin. The sweet odor of rot and death and something else the human didn’t have a name for. Jaehwan slid out of bed on wobbly legs, no vampires appearing from thin air to support him, but he tried not to stumble. Toddling towards a door he hadn’t entered yet, Jaehwan attempted to breathe evenly. It wasn’t the door to the hall and Jaehwan prayed it was a bathroom. 

He was rewarded by the sight of porcelain fixtures and darkened mirrors. There was no electricity in this... house? Was it a house? From the journey to the dining room, the place had seemed more like a Victorian mansion. Whatever it was, there were candles scattered around instead of light switches. Annoying.

The human scrambled around in the dark until his fingers closed around a book of matches and he struck one, lighting a few tapers and filling the bathroom with a flickering warm light. Jaehwan peered at himself in the gilded mirror. He was free of bruises but that was where the good news ended. Jaehwan found that he looked gaunt, pale with dark circles under his eyes. There was blood all over him, staining his neck like a waterfall of blackish crimson. It ran down his chest, dried in flakes on his stomach. 

With a disgusted huff, Jaehwan turned away from the mirror and moved to spin the taps on a large marble tub. He stood perfectly still as it filled, barely breathing, watching the water level rise and rise and rise. It was clear, reflection of the candle flames flickering and dancing.... 

Jaehwan stepped into the bath without bothering to remove his silk pajama pants. Why should he? They had as much blood on them as the rest of him and were practically glued to his legs. He picked up a cake of rose scented soap and lathered it in his hands, rubbing the small bubbles over his skin. His arms. His chest. Jaehwan dunked his head under water, scrubbing at his face and running his fingers through his hair. 

Gasping a little as he broke the surface, the human opened his eyes and squinted, droplets running off his hair with quiet _ plink, plink, plinks _. The water around him bloomed red. Like the blood was fresh, still flowing from his veins. He slapped a hand to his neck in panic, but he couldn’t tell whether or not the wetness on his fingers was water or blood.

_ Jaehwan, Love, calm down. _

The human froze, unable to inhale, staring around the dimly lit bathroom. It was empty. But he had just heard-

_ Please, you’re giving me a headache. _

“Wonshik?!” Jaehwan whispered. He squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them, scanning his surroundings as though he had missed Wonshik somewhere in the darkness. But he wasn’t there. Jaehwan couldn’t feel him there, no alarm bells going off in his head. The only thing in his head was-

_ Yes? _

“Are you… where are you? I can’t see you!”

_ I’m out with Hakyeon and Taekwoon at the moment. There are some clothes for you in the armoire and you can take a bath if you’d like. I believe Sanghyuk said he was going to come over tonight and kick your ass at video games. _

“Why can I hear you?” Jaehwan asked, sinking down into the murky water so only his eyes were visible. He didn’t like this at all. 

_ It’s all part of the process, Love. Hakyeon will explain it to you when we return. _

Jaehwan dunked his head again, trying to clear the foreign voice from inside his skull. Trying to banish the intruder. He continued scrubbing at his skin until all the flecks of blood had gone and then drained the tub completely. The human filled it back up with clean water and washed his body a second time, just to be sure he had gotten everything off. 

Only then, no more crimson smeared into his skin and smelling of rose petals did Jaehwan dry himself off. He wrapped a big fluffy towel around his waist, taking an extra one from the stack on the counter to drape over shoulders as he stared at himself in the mirror. The lack of blood _ did _ improve his appearance. Slightly. He looked less like the victim of a gruesome homicide, and more like a two day old corpse of a person who died peacefully in their sleep. 

Jaehwan carried the lit candelabra back into the bedroom and peered around. No vampires. Just furniture and shadow. Good. He found the armoire Wonshik had mentioned- beamed an image of into his head like he was a projector and Jaehwan was his personal movie theater- and pulled open the doors as quietly as he could. 

“Fucking assholes,” he muttered, examining the mountains of unfamiliar clothing.

There was not a _ single _cozy looking item in the lot. Everything was either sheer or thin or both, drapey fabric in an array of dark colors so similar that they almost blended together. Jaehwan would usually never be caught dead in any of this, and of course, his sweater and baggy jeans were nowhere in sight. The best option was still not very good but Jaehwan forced himself to put it on, shimmying into black oil slick denim and a sort of blouse that resembled knit but didn’t feel like knit at all. 

He padded back to the bathroom and found a comb, running it quickly through his hair. Clothes helped his appearance too. At least now he looked like a rich corpse‍. 

Jaehwan blinked, coming to a sudden realization. Wonshik and Taekwoon and Hakyeon weren’t there. They were out. If Jaehwan was alone here, this was his chance to escape! 

He whirled around, trying to find shoes but of course there were none. The vampires probably thought he wouldn’t brave the outdoors if he couldn’t protect his _‘delicate human feet’_ or some bullshit but Jaehwan couldn’t care less. 

He yanked the door open and scurried out into the hallway, looking right, then left. Which way had they turned to get to the dining room? Jaehwan couldn’t remember. Shit. He chose left, candelabra clutched tightly in one hand as he inched down the gloomy hallway. 

Jaehwan reached a wide staircase and had to clap a hand over his mouth to stifle a shriek of excitement. There, on the far side of the large entry hall was a set of ornately carved double doors. Could they lead outside?! He hoped so, prayed so as he took the stairs two at a time. 

He was halfway across the entry hall when his candles were extinguished by a breeze the human could not feel, plunging him into darkness. 

Jaehwan didn’t move, he didn’t breathe, didn’t dare even flex a muscle. It felt like there was a hummingbird trapped in his chest cavity, his heart was beating so fast.

“Boo.”

The human screamed, high pitched and shrill. He dropped the candelabra with an echoing clang that only served to scare him further, skittering towards the door as fast as he could.

“Where are you going little human?”

The ghostly voice was deep, lilting with a humor that Jaehwan absolutely didn’t understand. He ran into something that felt more like a wall than the door but he wasn’t going to complain. Having _ anything _to back up against was better than being out in the open. “Are you trying to run away?”

Something like fabric brushed against Jaehwan’s ear and he sank to the floor, tucking his knees to his chest, pressing his face into them, and wrapping his arms around his head. “You think they won’t come for you if you run away?”

Jaehwan began to shake as the thing laughed. “You think the big scary monsters won’t drag you back here by your hair?” 

“Stop it, please,” the human whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut. It was too dark for his sight to help him anyway.

“They’re going to drain the blood from your veins and tear you limb from limb, stupid human, the monsters are going to gorge on your flesh and drink your life force like wine.”

“No!” 

The horrible thing laughed again, moving silently so it could whisper in his other ear. Jaehwan could _hear_ its smile. “You’ll never escape, human. No matter how fast you run or how far you make it, the monsters will always be able to find you. They’ll always catch you, always-“

With a loud _creak,_ the large doors were pushed open from the outside, flooding the entry hall with pale moonlight. It was actually _ worse _ than being in the dark. At least when it was dark, Jaehwan hadn’t been able to see Hongbin crouching beside him, fangs run out, a grin that was downright predatory stretched across his inhumanly beautiful face. Jaehwan screamed again. Was he having a heart attack?! It felt like he was having a heart attack!

“Bin! What the fuck are you doing?!”

Familiarity sliced through Jaehwans terror like a knife through butter. “Hyuk-ah!?” he screamed, daring to lift his head as Hongbin was _ shoved _away. 

“Knock it off brat, I’m just having a little fun,” Hongbin replied with a laugh, flat on his back where he'd been shoved in the middle of the entry hall. Jaehwan was trembling, his bones felt like they had been turned to jelly but he didn’t remember... Wonshik had said Sanghyuk's name but the human had been so unnerved that he hadn’t processed it. What was-

“Hyuk-ah, what are you doing here?! It’s not safe you have to get out...” Jaehwan began, looking at his best friend with panic in his lungs. But- Sanghyuk was kneeling before him with wide eyes. Eyes the color to molten gold. _ Wonshik's _ eyes. Was he dreaming again?

Jaehwan extended a hand, intending to poke his best friend and see whether or not he was solid, but Sanghyuk moved away. Jumped away, ran away, whatever the word for it was because he was there and then gone in the space of a blink. Just _ seeing _ him move that fast was making Jaehwan nauseous.

“Sorry Hwannie hyung. I really shouldn’t touch you,” Sanghyuk said softly, nodding as Jaehwan dropped his arm. Hongbin appeared at his side and the poor human flinched. 

“He fucking _reeks_ doesn’t he?”

“Excuse you, I just took _ two _bathes!” Jaehwan snapped, affronted. His best friend grinned a bit. “No, not like that. You smell like Wonshik.”

Jaehwan bristled, internally cringing at the thought that he smelled like a monster and tried to force his mind back to the matter before him. “What’s wrong with you, why do your eyes look like that, and why are you here?! You _ shouldn’t _ be here!”

“He’s our little bratty nestmate, stupid human,” Hongbin hissed, earning another shove from Sanghyuk. If there was any blood left in Jaehwans body, it ran cold. His best friend was watching him with an apologetic expression, but Jaehwan could not handle this. Couldn’t understand it. 

“You- you’re a monster too?” he asked, voice shaky as he inched backward. Jaehwan wanted to put himself in a corner, he still didn’t feel safe. 

Sanghyuks face fell. “Yeah I- I guess I am.”

“How could you hide it from me for so long?”

“Well, I mean contacts work to make my eyes look more human, and you know I wear cologne so I don’t smell like-“

“You misunderstand,” Jaehwan interrupted, shrinking into the corner and curling into a ball. “How _ could _ you?! I thought we were friends! I thought you were my best friend but I couldn’t have been more wrong!”

Hongbin snickered from his left, muttering something that sounded like “Such an overdramatic human,” before leaping away and vanishing up the stairs.

“Hyung, listen! I _ am _ your best friend still! I never hurt you, I didn’t even _hunt_ you, you were just there and it was easier than going to find a new human to drink every week!”

“You. You- you _ drank my fucking blood?! _ ” Jaehwan nearly shouted, trying to make himself as small as possible. Sanghyuk was inching towards him, how had he never noticed the unsettling way he moved?! It was _ disgusting! _

“Yes, but never enough that you’d notice! And you always healed right away and I glamoured you stupid beforehand so you wouldn’t remember! The only effect you would have felt was the- the sore throats.”

“Is that supposed to make it better?! _ Hypnotizing _ me and then _ mauling _ me without my permission?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“No, Hwannie, don’t be like that! I have to drink blood to live and I don’t kill people, so I had to get it somehow! I was never trying to-“

Jaehwan glared as hard as he could, trying to ignore the heartbroken look in his friends' eyes, the furrow in his brow he always got when he was upset. Sanghyuk had _ no _ right to be sad when he had just smashed Jaehwan's own heart to pieces. Nothing but betrayal. 

_ Love, what’s wrong now? You’re feeling so many things it’s hard for me to understand. _

“Shut the fuck up!” Jaehwan shouted, hiding his face in his hands, shoulders slumping. “Why do you monsters have to _ ruin _ everything?! I couldn’t even keep my best friend, he’s as terrifying as the rest of you and it isn’t fair!”

“Hyung-“

_ I’m almost home, just hold out a little while longer, okay Love? _

“No! I don’t want you, I don’t want any of you! I just want to go home! I want my apartment and my bed and my cat and I want my best friend back!” 

The voice in his head went silent as tears finally began to roll down Jaehwan's cheeks. He was so overwhelmed and upset, he didn’t even know what to do anymore. Jaehwan had dreamed of having a more exciting life for so long, full of danger and intrigue like a detective in a spy thriller, but now... now, Jaehwan would give _ anything _to go back to his old boring routine. Stare at the convenient store walls for hours at a time, drink watery coffee in his apartment's tiny kitchen, play video games on his secondhand couch with Sanghyuk until four in the morning. 

“Hyung,” his best friend murmured, sitting before him and crossing his legs. “Please don’t cry.”

“Why can’t you touch me,” the human asked, tucking his legs tighter against him to try and get away. He didn’t want the monster wearing his best friend's face to touch him anyway, but Sanghyuk always gave him giant bear hugs and slung an arm around Jaehwan's shoulders. The lack of contact was just making everything seem even more abnormal. 

Sanghyuk cleared his throat. Jaehwan winced. It was a much too familiar sound, the action too human. “You, uh... you’re marked, kind of? Not completely, not yet, but- touching you would be like- like walking into a strangers house and eating out of their fridge. It’s just not done.”

The double doors were still open, moonlight spilling onto the marble floor where Jaehwan was huddled. He didn’t see them come in, the three other monsters appearing in the entry hall out of nowhere, but Jaehwan felt it. The hair on the back of his neck standing on end. Chills running down his spine. Animal consciousness warning him that something _ dangerous _ was nearby. 

“Jaehwan, Love?” the voice in his head asked, but it wasn’t only in his head anymore. His ears heard it, heard him. Wonshik speaking aloud to him as the vampire materialized at his side. Sanghyuk backed up immediately, Jaehwan flinching away from the pair of ice cold arms wrapping around him.

“Get away from me!”

“What’s the matter?” Wonshik asked, very much _ not _ getting away from Jaehwan. His arms tightened, temperature spiking so he felt more like a human with a fever. Jaehwan _ hated _ himself for relaxing, _ hated _ his traitorous body that craved the touch of this monster. He was going to do everything in his power to reject it. 

“Where’s Woonie,” Jaehwan whispered, glaring around that vampires scattered about the entry hall. The blonde monster had, in fact, turned out to be the nicer of the two. At least he was gentle and didn’t savage Jaehwan to the point of blacking out. Putting the weird mindfuckery aside, of course. 

Sanghyuk was still crouched on the floor a few yards away, Hakyeon and Taekwoon speaking quietly to one another on the other side of the hall, but both looked over at Jaehwan’s question. Silver eyes flashing. “I’m right here, darling. What do you need?”

Taekwoon was at Wonshik’s side in a blink, but he stood a conspicuous distance away from the human. Sticking with his_ ‘glue yourself to the nicest monster in the room’ _ plan, Jaehwan reached out to try and snag the blonde vampires hand. Taekwoon didn’t take it. Wonshik didn’t let him go. 

“What do you need,” he repeated, meeting Jaehwan’s glare with an expression that was positively empty. Jaehwan... Jaehwan didn’t know what to make of that. Not a clue. He was just sitting there like a dumbass with his hand out and being rejected. Okay...

_ He’s not going to touch you, Love. Not until I say so. _

The human shifted his gaze back to Wonshik. He looked so _ amused. _ It pissed Jaehwan off. “Say so then! And what’s your guy’s deal anyway!?” Jaehwan snapped, trying unsuccessfully to free himself from the vampire's hug. 

_ Taekwoon and I? He’s my mate, Love. _

Jaehwan’s eyes went wide. “What?! What was the point of kidnapping me then?! You don’t need me!”

_ You’re not here for romance, we brought you home for fun. Oh, and food. _

“You are literally the most vile and despicable creature I’ve ever-”

“Hwannie, who are you shouting at?” Sanghyuk asked, tone cautious, unfamiliar gold eyes looking warily from the human to Taekwoon.

“Him! He’s fucking awful!” Jaehwan exclaimed, wishing he wasn’t stuck there so he could kick Wonshik in the stomach. It probably wouldn’t hurt him, maybe stake him in the heart instead. That’d be way more satisfying. 

“He’s not talking though...”

Wonshik wouldn’t stop smiling so Jaehwan, for lack of a better idea, hauled back and punched him in his stupid fucking face. And it hurt so, _ so _ good. 

Taekwoon was on him a split second later, pinning Jaehwan to the marble floor and growling in his face. Jaehwan realized belatedly that punching a vampire when its mate was right there probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but hindsight's 20/20. Now at least he could be free from this nightmare, he thought, staring at Taekwoons fangs and swallowing a scream. 

“Baby, you know he didn’t hurt me,” Wonshik said from somewhere nearby, a laugh hidden in his deep voice. Jaehwan couldn’t fight back, couldn’t push the vampire off. He didn’t even try. What would be the point? They’d kill him before he made it three steps. 

_ Apologize. _

“No,” Jaehwan breathed, assuming Wonshik could hear it. Taekwoon snarled. 

_ Apologize and he won’t rip out your throat, Love. It’s for the best. _

“You think... I give... a shit?”

_ I mean, I do. It’d probably hurt. _

“Good.”

“Jaehwan says he’s very sorry and it won’t happen again,” Wonshik said, using his big boy out-loud voice for a change. How fucking refreshing.

“Don’t lie to me, I _ can _hear one half of your little conversation,” Taekwoon snapped, fisting Jaehwans hair and banging his head against the marble. Whether it was an accident or on purpose, Jaehwan's ears and brain were ringing too much to care which. 

Out of the corner of his eye, the part of his vision that wasn’t obscured by growling monster, Jaehwan saw that Hakyeon had approached. Like a star that had fallen to earth. A star that could either light up a room or burn it to the ground. _ Am I concussed, _Jaehwan wondered, squeezing his eyes shut. Being eaten alive would be easier if he couldn’t see the monsters do it. 

A silence fell that was so profound, it startled Jaehwan. He could feel the non-beat of Taekwoon's immortal heart, feel the phantom breaths Taekwoon didn’t need to take. Feel his own blood rushing in his ears. Smelled _ vampire. _

“If you hurt him, it will hurt Wonshik. If you kill him, it will kill Wonshik.”

“Not yet, it won’t. Their bond isn’t complete.”

Hakyeon sighed for dramatic effect because, again, none of them _actually_ needed to breathe. “His mark is already showing, they’re already communicating with nothing but thought, it has begun. I suggest that you refrain from brutalizing the human further.”

_ Will you apologize now, Love? Your fright is honestly a bit alarming. _

“Get him off me if your so fucking alarmed,” Jaehwan breathed, and just like that Taekwoon was gone. Shit. Wonshik had listened?

Jaehwan's eyes fluttered open, and he was looking up into his best friends anxious, young face. He couldn’t feel the others anymore. Only one vampire in the room. The most familiar one. His home. 

_ Tell Sanghyuk I said it’s okay, spend a little time with him. I need to be alone with my mate. You’re welcome. _

“He says it’s okay,” Jaehwan said quietly, letting Sanghyuk scoop him up in a hug. 

How had Jaehwan ended up here? This whole thing was absolutely, uncategorically fucked. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, staring at my word doc in a cold sweat now that I realize just how vampiric I wrote my Demon AU


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cue the heartfelt conversations and backstory.  
*I can't not call Sanghyuk puppy. He is puppy and I don't take criticism on that count lol*

“Sanghyuk, I’m going to need you to tell me everything now. Absolutely everything.”

Jaehwan was curled on the side of a deep leather couch, backed up against the arm rest. He stared at his best friend, eyes sharp as flint. Sanghyuk was on the opposite end, hands clasped in his lap, legs apart and shoulders slumped. Sitting in that way big men sit. Taking up space. 

“What is everything? Define everything.”

Sanghyuk had given Jaehwan his enormous green and grey hoodie after the human had calmed down somewhat. Had calmed down as much as he could considering the circumstances. But Sanghyuk remembered that humans could get cold, and that the clothing provided was not sufficient to keep the chill of this dark place from seeping into Jaehwan's bones. And Jaehwan was grateful for _ that, _at least. 

“Everything meaning you. Them. These monsters, how you’re mixed up with them and why they decided to target me,” Jaehwan replied, tucking his hands inside the overlong sleeves. 

“Hwannie, listen-“

“So no hyung anymore? Just dropping the whole act? How old even are you? Not twenty three I’m assuming?”

Sanghyuk sighed, very obviously not making eye contact. “Fifty six.”

“Jesus _fucking_ Christ,” Jaehwan breathed, hiding his face in his sweatshirt paws. “I’m best friends with a fucking baby boomer.”

“I’m not- hey okay just because I was born in the sixties doesn’t mean I act like that! I’m a twenty three year old whose been alive for fifty six years.”

Jaehwan huffed out a humorless laugh. “So how did the monsters get you then?”

“They didn’t _ get _ me.”

“This is not the time to be fucking cryptic, Hyuk-ah, tell me how they got you.”

His friend shut his horrible golden eyes, so unfamiliar. “I was sick, okay? I was Wonshik's best friend, other than Taekwoon. I didn’t know what he was, who he really was. I was at college, he was my super cool TA in music theory and I didn’t know that was his, like, tenth fucking time going through undergrad. He does it for fun, you see, to meet people. So he tutored me, we became friends, we partied, And I was- you gotta understand I was a loser. I was scrawny, still tall but I was weak and skinny and entered school late because I had to work to pay for it and was older than everyone in my year. I was a loner and I had no friends and then this- this cool guy with tats and piercings and insane raps skills actually liked me! Me! I felt like the most awesome person in the world! That he’d seen something in me, the kid who liked anime too much and always had my hood up and got pushed around by the fucking lax team.”

Jaehwan stared at his best friend, uncomprehending. The image of his giant and insanely popular best friend as _ scrawny. _That wasn’t working for him.

“So he was my best friend, for like my entire sophomore year, and then I got sick.”

“With what?”

“I don’t know, nobody knew. And I was poor so I couldn't go to a real doctor, and the campus clinic didn’t know how to help. And one night- I uh, I got a fever. A bad one. Like really bad and Wonshik was there and he told me it smelled like I was dying.” 

Sanghyuk’s voice hitched, a little, hands twisting in his in his lap, and Jaehwan's heart- yanked? It felt like a tug, he didn’t like seeing his best friend sad, never had done. Didn’t like that furrow that hadn’t left his brow since he saved the human from Hongbin’s terrorizing. But he didn’t interrupt. 

“He told me he was going to help, he was going to make me better and- I know now, I know now that he glamoured me. He glamoured me so hard that I passed out and when I woke up...”

“Hyuk-ah.”

His mouth was doing that duck thing. Sanghyuk did that some times when he’d rather not talk and it made him look so stupid and young and adorable that it tugged at Jaehwan's traitorous heart again. So, against his better judgement he stretched out one leg and nudged Sanghyuk’s thigh with his toes. 

“When I woke up,” his friend continued, wrapping one of his huge hands around Jaehwan's ankle, “I was totally out of it. I felt like my insides had been burned to a crisp and there was nothing left. I was hungry, so hungry, Hwannie, I can’t even describe it. Wonshik was there, by my side, and so were Hakyeon and Taekwoon although I had no clue who they were at the time. And I tried to get out of bed, _ tried _ being the operative word because I collapsed almost immediately. Broke the headboard in half in the process, just snapped it clean in two.”

A pause. 

“And _ this _ had happened. I had gotten all big. And strong. I’m really strong, don’t know if you know that.”

“Of course I know that,” Jaehwan snapped, “Give me a little credit. I _ do _ know a tiny bit about you.”

Sanghyuk chuckled softly, squeezing Jaehwan's bare foot. “Vampire strength is different Hwannie. And it turned out that my sickness flipped around and manifested into physical strength. When I changed, I mean. I found out after I fed that Hakyeon had turned me. Wonshik brought me to Hakyeon and begged him to save me. He- I, he wasn't old enough- strong enough to turn a human. Hakyeon is noble. He's stronger than the rest of us and he sired all of us, for one reason or another.”

“You fed...” Jaehwan murmured. That was the only part of the story that stuck in his mind. Monsters, caring about a human. Wonshik, horrible fucking- that atomic dickhead of a vampire actually trying to save Sanghyuk? None of that was computing. So he latched onto the only detail that was making any kind of sense. 

“Yeah. They gave me a bloodbag when I first woke up but it wasn’t enough. It doesn’t have the same effect unless it comes straight out of a living person. Doesn’t have the same energy or something. It’s the only time I’ve ever uh...”

His voice hitched again, Jaehwan could see how hard he swallowed. How fast he was breathing. But Sanghyuk didn’t- didn’t _ need _ to do any of that! How was he still _ so _ human?!

Jaehwan, because he was either a good fucking friend or a suicidal maniac and just never noticed, scooted all the way over and tucked himself against against Sanghyuk, their arms touching from shoulder to wrist. 

“It’s the only time I’ve ever actually- actually killed someone. But I didn’t know what I was doing, the bloodlust clouds everything it’s like you can’t breathe you're so hungry and everything else falls away and I had just-” 

Sanghyuk sobbed, all of Jaehwan’s urge to snap and be mean left him in a blink. “Come here, dummy,” he sighed, pulling his giant friend against him and hugging him tight. He let Sanghyuk cry himself out, head on his shoulder and big arms around his middle, the fabric of the hoodie damp when all the tears were gone. 

“I don’t kill people, Hwannie, I just don’t. I only drink a little blood, a little at a time, from random people. I never hurt them when I do, though, I never hurt anybody. None of the others really approve of that strategy for some reason so they let me keep to myself most of the time. And I went back to drifting, lost a few years to travel, more than a few I guess because I ended up back here three years ago. Decided to go back to school, you know. And then I met you.”

Jaehwan knew that much of the story at least. He had met Sanghyuk in almost the same way as Sanghyuk had met Wonshik. He was Sanghyuk’s TA for some boring color theory class and Sanghyuk had been absolutely useless at it, Jaehwan had tutored him. They’d become friends, then best friends, and Jaehwan had graduated and they stayed best friends. But that story wasn’t what this conversation was about. 

“So you met me and then what? Decided to eat me regularly because I was always around?”

Sanghyuk shifted, suddenly uncomfortable, but he didn’t try and break the hug. He was so warm, Jaehwan wasn’t planning on letting him go any time soon. 

“Yeah. But I never wanted to scare you or anything, I always waited 'till you fell asleep and then woke you and glamoured you. I knew you wouldn’t remember but I did it then just in case, so if you did remember or I didn’t glamour you enough you’d think it was just a dream.”

Jaehwan twitched. “Did you ever do anything else to me while I was glamoured? That seems to be something your buddies enjoy doing.”

“No!” Sanghyuk exclaimed, unfamiliar golden eyes going wide. “I’d never, _ never _ ever do anything like that to anyone! And least of all you! I love you, you know that! I’d never hurt you!”

And he was crying all over again, hugging the human so tight that Jaehwan was half worried his ribs would break. Jaehwan did, for all intents and purposes, know Sanghyuk. He knew how kind Sanghyuk was, he was such a good, honest kid. Jaehwan didn’t think Sanghyuk would be capable of really hurting people, but he had to ask none the less. 

“So,” Jaehwan began, once his friend had relaxed again, “Wonshik brought you here, but how did the others all get here?”

“Uhm,” Sanghyuk hiccuped, “Hakyeon thought Taekwoon was his mate, but he wasn’t. Taekwoon thought Hongbin was his mate but he wasn’t. He turned out to be Hakyeon's mate. And then Taekwoon found Wonshik. So- so they’re all paired up and I’m the misfit kid they pseudo adopted I guess.”

Jaehwan squinted down at the top of his friend's head. _Mates._ He’d heard of mates but that story still gave him weird... weird vibes?

“What do you mean they _ thought _someone was their mate?”

“Nobody knows who their mate is until they meet them, both as vampires, but apparently you can get a feeling sometimes. From a human, I mean, like you can tell there’s something _special_ about your- your friendship or relationship or whatever,” Sanghyuk explained, shooting a furtive glance up at Jaehwan before quickly looking away. “You never know for sure until they turn though. Every vampire has a mate somewhere, it’s just a matter of finding them.”

“I guess that’s interesting. So who's your mate then?”

“No clue,” Sanghyuk replied, glancing at Jaehwan again before he turned to stare at the fireplace. They had ended up in a rather cozy sort of den after the other vampires left, brick mantelpiece, big couches, a pool table. It was a room Jaehwan hadn’t been in yet but he instantly liked it. 

“So, why do you and prince dickhead have gold eyes and the others have silver?”

_ That was rude. _

“Shut up,” Jaehwan snapped, waving away Sanghyuk’s confusion.

“Uh, Wonshik and I are both pretty young. Vampire eyes don’t shift to silver until you’re over a hundred or something. It’s a signal not to mess with them I guess.”

“And why did they pick me to eat as opposed to someone else?”

_ I can tell you that. _

“I don’t fucking _trust_ you,” the human hissed, rolling his eyes and pointing at his own head. That was all the explanation he could muster at the moment, saying that a vampire was using telepathy on him would be way too difficult. 

“We were all taught to go for people like you. Usually though, people who are bitten and survive remember it, and they kind of like it? Like it’s a turn on I guess? And you’ve been bitten. By me. Humans smell different after they’re bitten, no idea why.”

_ That’s not the only reason. _

“Dumbfuck seems to think that’s not the only reason, so do you have any other idea why?” Jaehwan asked, trying to come up with the most insulting names for Wonshik that he could.

_ Careful, Love. We’re going to have to teach you a lesson if you keep that up. _

“Burn in hell. Not you Hyuk-ah, choke-on-a-dick-Wonshik isn’t happy with my potty mouth.”

For an unsettling moment, Jaehwan _ felt _Wonshik laugh. “Maybe... stop then?” Sanghyuk tried, but the human just gave him a look. His friend knew him better than that. 

“Okay, well, don’t take this the wrong way but... you smell really good. And humans usually taste how they smell so you probably would have been pretty hard to resist.”

_ He’s right on that count at least, you’re delicious. _

Jaehwan felt himself blush all the way to the roots of his hair. “So why hasn’t a vampire tried to get me before them then? If I smell so good?”

“Well normally, you uh-“

“Just spit it out Hyuk-ah, please? I’m so overwhelmed by all of this I just need you to tell me straight out,” Jaehwan sighed, tucking his legs up against his chest and hiding his face in his sleeves. Sanghyuk shifted again, uncomfortable.

“Normally you smell like me.”

Jaehwan blinked. “Like when we hug, or you borrow my clothes, stuff like that. And I _ do _ actually smell like a vamp, so any other vamp that may come to try and get you would smell me and assume you’re- you’re spoken for in that regard. Your apartment smells like me as well, I made sure of that. Just for some security.”

“What, did you rub your dick all over my furniture or something?”

Sanghyuk snorted, a little smile crossing his face. “No, I didn’t piss on your shoes either. A werewolf might have, but we aren’t as baseline animal as they are so...”

“So why didn’t your smell keep Lucifer and stupid shit brain away then?”

_ Love... _

“I haven’t seen you in a week, Hwannie, smell wears off.”

“So this is your fault?”

Sanghyuk blanched, a strange amount of color gone from his cheeks like blood had been there before. And those gold eyes full of so much pain. 

_ It’s nobody's fault, Love. And it isn’t a bad thing. Don’t hurt the puppy's feelings, he doesn’t understand anything about our kind. _

Puppy. Sanghyuk _ was _ like a puppy. How had Jaehwan never thought of that nickname before?

“I guess it is.”

“No it’s not, I was being stupid.” Jaehwan corrected hastily, patting his friend's shoulder. “Last question. Why do I look like a walking fucking corpse? Because I didn’t look like this yesterday, or however many days I’ve been trapped in this hell.”

_ I can tell you that too. Why don’t you talk this through with me instead? _

“To reiterate, because clearly you can’t hear me with Woonie's dick in your ear, I do not trust you!”

_ And you trust Sanghyuk? He drank your blood without your permission for years and you think he wouldn’t lie to you one more time? Because he doesn’t want to lose his juice box? _

“What juice box?”

_ Look at him, I bet he’s blushing. _

Jaehwan _ did _ look, and his friend _ was _ blushing. “What juice box,” Jaehwan repeated, although with his own flush creeping back up his face, he thought he already knew.

“Um, that’s what I called you. Around them. Because they don’t like the whole drinking and not killing thing so I thought if I made it sound like a joke it would be-“

The human held up a hand, taking several deep breaths before opening his mouth so he wouldn’t shout. “Juice box. Okay, so I’m a vampire's juice box. Great. Guess I can cross that off my bucket list,” he replied, tucking his legs up inside the sweatshirt as well. He was honestly _ so _ cold. 

“I don’t know why you look like that, actually, to answer your earlier question. Although if I had to guess, I’d say-“

_ You’re transitioning, Love. You’ll be just as pretty as you were when the ritual is finished. _

“Does your mate know that you’re eavesdropping on our conversation and secretly talking to me?!” Jaehwan snapped, accidentally interrupting a rather startled Sanghyuk in the process. 

_ Taeky is with Hakyeon at the moment. He’d rather upset with me. _

“For what? I’m sure you’ve done plenty of stupid shit but what specifically?”

_ Defending you. And you can answer me without actually speaking aloud, no need to alarm poor Sanghyukie. _

“That seems like a level of intimacy I’d rather not reach with you, please would you mind repeating yourself, Hyuk-ah,” Jaehwan said, speaking aloud but not addressing his mental trespasser. His eyes had slid out of focus, but he tried not to think about the vampire apparently defending him to Taekwoon. It didn’t matter, Jaehwan didn’t need defending. He enjoyed punching Wonshik and would punch him again. Show that he wasn’t to be lightly fucked with, even by a monster. 

_ So feisty. _

“I was going to say that I guess you’re changing from a normal human to a thrall. I’ve met a few before and they all have the mark like you, so once you drink Wonshik’s blood you should be fine,” Sanghyuk said, apparently not realizing how terrifying his pronouncement was until he saw all the color drain from Jaehwan's face. 

“That’s enough for now, Sanghyuk, thank you,” Wonshik's out-loud voice said, the vampire appearing in a flash and instantly lowering the room's temperature by several degrees.

“I am not, repeat _ not, _ drinking your blood! That’s fucking disgusting!” Jaehwan squeaked, shrinking back into the couch cushions and staring at Wonshik in disbelief. 

“You will. Tomorrow,” Wonshik replied, sitting beside him and unzipping Jaehwan’s hoodie before the human even realized he’d moved.

“Stop it! I’m cold!”

“And I’m hot. I’ll warm you up,” the vampire replied, dropping the garment on it’s owner’s lap and placing a feverish hand on Jaehwan’s cheek. He was smiling again, Jaehwan’s eyes going narrow as he unconsciously leaned into the touch. Jaehwan grumbled.

"Don't make Twilight jokes please, I'm already nauseous enough. And you aren't even a werewolf, so it doesn't work."

“Additionally, I don’t particularly enjoy my thrall smelling like someone other than my mate.”

Jaehwan bristled, trying unsuccessfully to pull away. Gentle hands, that sweet voice, the human squeezed his eyes shut. “Nobody has explained to me,” he breathed, fighting down terror as the elder vampire shifted him onto his lap, “What a _ thrall _ is.”

“A thrall, Love, is a vampire's human companion. Tied to one vampire and one vampire only for all eternity.”

Jaehwan frowned. “The human and vampire can communicate through thought, I share my power with you, and you share your life force with me. We strengthen each other, Love, and the connection is strong. So strong that if one of us dies, the other will perish as well.”

“And what do I get exactly? I think I understand your end, a _ juice box _ basically tied to you forever, but that doesn’t sound all that appealing to me.”

Wonshik laughed. _Softly._ “I believe you are underestimating just how much power I have to offer, Love. You will have immortality, heal faster, be immune to disease. Speed and strength and boundless vitality. You’ll be impervious to glamour, Love, you can look into our eyes without being affected.” The vampire squeezed Jaehwan a little. 

_ Open your eyes, I’ll show you. _

“No,” Jaehwan replied, voice not but a murmur. 

_ Trust me, Love. _

“No. This is the most _obvious_ trap, I’m honestly a bit disappointed.”

“He’s not lying, Hwannie. Thralls can’t be glamoured,” Sanghyuk said quietly. Against his better judgement, Jaehwan cracked an eye open. 

He was instantly snared by that golden gaze, but... his head was clear. No fog creeping in, no drowsy feeling. He was staring back into Wonshik's grinning face, but nothing was happening. “Not just my glamour, here, Sanghyuk can try as well. You will not feel it.”

Jaehwan turned his head, taking in the picture of his best friend cuddling with the balled up hoodie clutched in his large hands. “I’m going to try... now.”

Again, nothing. He saw his friend's eyes swirl like molten whirlpools, noted how beautiful the sight was, but nothing more than that. “So, so you monsters won’t be able to hurt me again?”

Pain in his friends' eyes once more, expression abashed, but- “We can hurt you plenty Love, but we will not. It’s part of the bargain you see. I feel what you feel, you feel what I feel. Our bodies are twin to one another."

“All I gathered from that response is that you can’t take what you dish out,” Jaehwan said sharply, turning back to the vampire holding him prisoner in more ways than one. Wonshik chuckled, low and throaty, smiling at the human with something akin to fondness.

“Go ahead, try and hurt me. I won’t stop you. You can even bite me if you want,” he replied, tilting his head back against the cushion and baring his throat. 

Jaehwan deliberated for roughly five seconds, and then leaned in and bit at the side of the vampire's neck. He had been aiming to wound, aiming to bruise or draw blood, but all his efforts earned was a soft groan and arms tightening around his waist. 

“Really? Asking him to hurt you, Shik? _Really?”_

Jaehwan stifled a gasp, hissing a flaming curse as he felt the presence of two other vampires entering the room. He didn’t dare look around, cringing into his captor's embrace from a fear that was pure liquid black. 

“So, you show yourself at last, baby. How was your and Yeon’s little heart to heart?”

“Therapeutic,” Taekwoon replied icily, Jaehwan could feel the eyes boring into the back of his head.

_ Breathe, Love. _

Jaehwan made a conscious effort to suck air into his lungs. 

_ Good boy. _

“Have you explained everything to him?” Hakyeon's smooth voice asked from somewhere to the humans right. “Sanghyuk did most of it, I just handled the last part.”

“So he’s agreed? To finish the ritual?”

They moved with deathly quiet, Jaehwan only sensing the proximity by the raising of goosebumps on his skin. “I’m not drinking blood,” Jaehwan whispered, hiding his face against the crook of Wonshik’s neck and breathing through his open mouth. It was too much. Too many vampires. His nerves were so on edge that that Jaehwan could hear ringing in his ears. Just like before when Hongbin was scaring him, too much. 

_ You need to do this. Not finishing the process will make you sick. _

“Why?” 

Wonshik smoothed a large hand down the back of the human’s hair. 

_ You will be stuck in limbo, Love. Half mortal and half immortal, and your body will not be able to handle that for very long. You asked why you looked like a corpse and it is because you are dying, but only a little. _

“I’m- I’m dying?!”

_ Nothing irreversible, Love. You only have to die a little to stay alive for eternity. _

Jaehwan swallowed hard. “I don’t actually have much choice then, do I?”

“Of course you have a choice, there is always a choice. You can choose to die in truth,” Hakyeon said gently, closer than before. “But I- I don’t want to die!”

_ And you never have to. _

Jaehwan dared, finally, to look over his shoulder. Hakyeon's expression was neutral but Taekwoon's face was a roadmap of dissatisfaction. He shuddered, the anger in those silver eyes cracking him open and scraping at his bones. 

“I mean, he doesn’t _have_ to though... he could drink another vamps blood and it would cancel out the effects of the mark,” Sanghyuk spoke up, sounding absurdly young when surrounded by this nest of monsters. 

“You know not of what you speak,” Taekwoon snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. “Such measures would be as good as killing the vampire who marked him to begin with, I've already written that off as a nonviable option.” 

_“Did_ you, now?” 

His captor's voice carried a chill that sliced Jaehwan to his core. 

“Yes, I did. Because now you are responsible for this human, Shik, and I honestly don’t think you’re mature enough.”

_ He’s just jealous Love, my mate is a bit possessive. There is no need to be so frightened. _

Jaehwan stayed quiet, shaking, thinking hard and letting the silence ask his question for him. 

_ Of course, and if you go through with the ritual then we will be at each other’s side, protecting one another for eternity. You will never need fear anyone... or anything again. _

“Blood is an emetic, if I drink it I’ll puke it right back up. Yet another reason why your entire species is illogical,” Jaehwan said in a tight whisper. The vampire laughed again, reverberating through his heartless rib cage and out-

_ Don’t be mistaken, I am not heartless. I saved Sanghyuk after all. What kind of heartless being would risk everything to save a friend? _

“If you drink a lot of it, your stomach would reject it. That’s correct,” Hakyeon replied, tone light and airy. “But you need not but a few drops.”

Jaehwan turned his face to look at his friend, assessing the terror he found there. “What do you think, Hyuk-ah?” he asked, needing the opinion of someone he knew. Someone he trusted despite everything. 

When Sanghyuk didn’t answer, Wonshik lay a gentle touch to the human's cheek. He was still smiling, but it was more affectionate than predatory. 

“Why me? You said there was another reason, so what was it?”

_ We could smell the power in you, Love. The puppy could no doubt smell it too, and guarded you staunchly because of it. I can smell the strength in you, and I want to feel it’s twin in myself. _

  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s not a wedding. It sounds like a wedding, smells like a wedding, and tastes like a wedding, but this isn’t a wedding. I promise. I wasn’t looking up ‘gothic forest wedding’ on Pinterest for inspiration. I wasn’t. 
> 
> [MUSIC FOR THE NOT-WEDDING](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVBNVR1wQT8)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *TRIGGER WARNING*  
I'm putting a TW for self harm here because I feel like I should. They aren't trying to hurt themselves and heal instantly, it's quick, and just need some blood for the ritual, but if you're sensitive to that sort of thing then read at your own discretion.
> 
> ALSO every time the lines are italicized, the psychic twins are communicating telepathically, if that wasn't clear.

“Are you ready?”

Jaehwan glanced away from the giant tv screen, his digital cart accidentally crashing into the digital wall. Sanghyuk had suggested a round of Mario Party to keep the human distracted while the other monsters set up whatever _the ritual _was. Apparently, they could smell his anxiety and had banished him to the game room with the youngest member of their little nest when he tried to spy.

He knew he had to -_ick-_ drink Wonshik’s blood at some point, and Sanghyuk had told him this whole thing could have been over and done with already if it weren’t for his nestmates flare for the dramatic.

“No,” Jaehwan huffed, pushing himself off the couch and standing on shaky legs.

Taekwoon had told him what to wear, a flowing white shirt made of linen and chiffon tucked into a pair of pleated trousers, and no shoes. Of course. Why should he be allowed to wear shoes? What had Lee Jaehwan _ever_ done to earn the right to wear shoes? Jaehwan couldn’t decide whether the ridiculous ensemble was more along the lines of someone being used for virgin sacrifice or a gay bride at a goth wedding. Definitely one of the two.

_Cheer up, Love. You’re about to be granted immortal life._

Jaehwan studiously ignored Wonshik’s words, focusing on walking precisely three steps behind Hakyeon as he followed the vampire towards the door.

“Are you coming, Sanghyuk?” Hakyeon called, the youngest monster appearing at Jaehwan’s side in a blink, eyes trained on the floor. They were walking at human speed for his benefit, Jaehwan realized, swallowing a touch of disgust that rose in his throat. Monsters. He was surrounded by monsters at every turn, impossible to get away. And now that he was dying, he had no choice but to let them go through with this crazy ritual. What had his life come to?

“Why can’t I wear shoes?” the human asked, tone petulant. Hakyeon glanced back at him, looking Jaehwan over like he was nothing more than a walking, talking, headache. All the vampires were wearing simple black clothing, free from frills or adornment, and it put Jaehwan in mind of a group of pallbearers.

“You need to be close to the earth, which is also why the ceremony will be held outdoors.”

Jaehwan blanched. “It’s the middle of fucking winter! I’m literally going to freeze to death before this circus even starts!” he exclaimed, bare feet slapping on the cold marble floor.

“You’re already dying, remember? A little chill won’t hurt.”

“Maybe... maybe we _could_ do it inside? This is already unpleasant for him, Yeon, it’s the least we could-”

“Sanghyuk, you know you’re my favorite child but please don’t speak of what you do not understand,” Hakyeon interrupted, his tone soft despite the reprimand. Jaehwan looked around. His best friend was wearing the same drab attire as the rest of them and it was the most formal he had ever seen Sanghyuk. A genuinely startling change. Sanghyuk looked older, mature.

_Try not to let your mind wander on our special day, Love._

“Stop calling it that! I feel like I'm being forced into an arranged marriage,” Jaehwan snapped aloud, temporarily forgetting that he was supposed to be ignoring Wonshik’s voice in his head. Neither of his escorts paid his odd outburst the slightest bit of attention.

“In any case, the guests are already here and they’re waiting for the ritual to begin. We must hurry.”

“Guests?!” Jaehwan nearly shouted, coming to a dead stop in the entry hall. Hakyeon sighed.

“Yes, guests. This is a very sacred event and it is traditional to celebrate with friends.”

All the blood drained from the human’s face and he started to tremble, not only from the chill wafting through the open double doors. Friends would mean _more_ vampires. More monsters. Being around these five already made him feel sick, he didn’t think he could handle more-

_You’ll be alright, Love. All you need to do is repeat what Taekwoon tells you, you like Taekwoon._

Jaehwan did like Taekwoon, despite everything, but that wasn’t really the point, was it?

Hakyeon, Sanghyuk, and Jaehwan exited the house, a gust of icy air sending the human shivering. “Now, since Wonshik is my child, I will be accompanying you down the aisle. Sanghyuk, your chair will be the empty space on Hongbin’s left,” Hakyeon said, efficient and businesslike as he led the other two down a winding path into the forest. The trees were thick and obscured the moon, a thousand tiny lanterns lining the trail and providing the only light. “Once we reach the altar, you will-“

“You _really_ couldn’t make it sound more like a wedding if you tried,” Jaehwan snapped, earning a glare and trying not to step on any sharp twigs.

“As I was saying, you will sit until the ritual is finished. And I’m giving you fair warning, there will be biting involved, after which you’ll drink Wonshik's blood. Other than some words here and there, it’s a relatively quick ceremony.”

Jaehwan tried to force himself to calm down. He really did. But the gooseflesh raising across his skin had alerted him to the presence of monsters. A lot of them. And he was fucking freezing!

_Take deep breaths, it will be over soon._

“Easy for you to say, you don’t have to breathe,” the human muttered, another shiver running through him at the feeling of Wonshik’s laughter.

In the distance, Jaehwan could see twinkling fairy lights, could make out the sounds of soft chattering voices. _Vampires._ The three stopped walking and Sanghyuk murmured a quiet, “Good luck, Hwannie. Congratulations,” before he darted away at full speed.

If Jaehwan had to guess, he’d say they were still a good fifty feet from where the monsters were gathered, but Sanghyuk’s movement must have alerted them. The forest fell deathly silent.

_We can hear your heartbeat._

“Where are you?” Jaehwan whispered, peering between the looming trees for any sign of his- his partner or... whatever Wonshik was. Certainly _not_ master.

_I’m waiting for you._

An eerie whine of string instruments drifted from the gathering, soft at first. Swan Lake, Jaehwan thought. How thoroughly predictable. “Come, it’s starting.”

Jaehwan reflexively moved to take the elder vampire’s arm, Hakyeon wasn’t all that bad when push came to shove and he seriously needed something to help him feel less exposed, but the vampire stepped away. Oh, right. They couldn’t touch him. The music swelled and the two began to walk, side by side, Jaehwan matching Hakyeon’s measured pace.

They rounded a bend in the path and Jaehwan nearly stumbled. There was a second house, right in the center of the woods, actually it looked more like the ruins of a medieval stronghold. Dark grey stone covered with vines, a three-sided courtyard with arches stretching from one wall to the other, open to the night sky. Thousands of tiny candles were strung up like a canopy and the ground underfoot had transitioned to soft grass. It was a beautiful place, candles continuing to trace a path until they reached the far wall. It was a bit difficult for Jaehwan to focus on the picturesqueness, though, because at least twenty pairs of gold and silver eyes were trained on him. Vampires. So many vampires. Danger. He had to get out he was in so much danger-

_Focus on me, Love. Just look at me, you’re alright._

Jaehwan’s gaze snapped forward, finding his vampire standing at the end of the aisle beside an alter and a stoic looking Taekwoon. _His_ vampire, that was a slip up. He forced his feet to keep moving, right then left then right, like a docile lamb being led to slaughter.

_That’s good, one step at a time._

Unlike the other nestmates, Wonshik had on a tuxedo coat of black and grey herringbone tweed, black double-breasted vest, and black suit pants. His leather oxfords shined in the candlelight, dark hair combed back and golden eyes dancing with reflected flames. ‘Dapper’ was the first word that popped unbidden into Jaehwan’s head, closely followed by ‘handsome.’

_Thank you, Love. You look ravishing._

_What a liar, _Jaehwan thought mutinously. He had seen exactly how he looked when Taekwoon had played dress-up with him. He knew he looked pale and thinner somehow, hollow cheeks and deep-set eyes. Even with the makeup Taekwoon had put on him, Jaehwan thought he was the furthest thing from ravishing.

The music reached its crescendo, starling a little jump from the human as he and Hakyeon reached the end of the aisle. Jaehwan just stood there, waiting while the elder vampire kissed Wonshik’s forehead and then moved off to sit in the front row. His nerves jangled, feeling unbalanced and jittery with the combination of music and predator.

_I’m going to take your hand now, Love. You don’t have to flinch away. It’s just me._

Wonshik appeared at Jaehwan’s side and Jaehwan did his utmost not to flinch, the vampire sliding his hand into the human's and lacing their fingers together. He had such a sappy smile on his face...

The human allowed himself to be led to a high-backed wooden chair beside the narrow stone altar. He could feel all the monsters looking at him, every nerve in his body screaming at him to get up and run from this place as fast as his legs could carry-

_Breathe. Nothing bad whatsoever will happen to you, Jaehwan. All that will happen is you will get stronger. We’ll make each other stronger. _

Jaehwan nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on his vampire as Taekwoon began to speak.

“Welcome, friends, to this joyous Sanguine Initiation Rite.”

The group of monsters clapped, a few of them whooping in amusement.

“We have gathered here today because my mate-“ a bawdy whistle from one of the onlookers- “Kim Wonshik, wishes to share with this human, Lee Jaehwan, the most precious gift he has to give. His nature.”

_Wonshik, Wonshik can you hear me? I’m so scared,_ Jaehwan thought, frantic, trying to picture the invisible plea being beamed into his vampire’s head. He couldn’t have spoken aloud if he’d wanted to, so paralyzed by-

_Yes, Love. And I can hear how your heart is racing. There is no need to be frightened, I'm here with you._

“We are creatures of darkness, but we are also creatures of life. Life empowers us and sustains us. It is our most precious possession, and the greatest gift we can share. By sharing his blood with Jaehwan this night, Wonshik is sharing his life, his vitality, his very soul.” Taekwoon’s words were met by more clapping.

_How are you not scared? You don’t even really know me, and you want to tie yourself to me forever?!_

Jaehwan was thinking very hard, trying to focus on sending Wonshik his questions rather than the terrifying prospect of what would unfold over the next few minutes.

_You forget that I am in your mind, I can read your heart, and the words written there are exquisite. I want them. Want you. And very soon, you will be able to read mine too. _

Taekwoon turned to look at Jaehwan with those silver eyes. “Do you understand the importance of what Wonshik is offering you? After tonight, you two will be connected in a way that goes beyond words. More than brother, more than friend, you, Jaehwan, will be the child of his heart and his soul. Neither you nor he can break the bond that is forged tonight. Are you willing to accept it?”

Wonshik sent him the words he needed to say, Jaehwan simply opened his mouth and let them flow out. “I am willing to accept this most precious gift,” he murmured, squeezing his vampire’s hand tight.

“Very well, but before Wonshik gives of himself to you, you must first surrender yourself to him. He will be your teacher and your guide within this community, as well as share one mind with you. In order for him to fulfill his role to you, you must place your trust in him. Do you understand what that means?”

Jaehwan nodded, quickly adding, “I do, and I willingly offer myself to him.” He got the gist, if nothing else. And he had no other choice. Submit or die. 

_I’m going to bite you now, Love, just enough to break the skin. And I’m going to do it four times._

Wonshik released the human’s hand, moving around and kneeling in front of the chair. His fingers wrapping around Jaehwan’s bare foot and bringing Jaehwan's ankle to his mouth. Jaehwan watched his fangs elongate, letting out and entirely involuntary whine when they pierced his skin.

He could see the twinkle of laughter in his vampires’ eyes and Jaehwan sealed his mouth shut, only short, sharp inhales through his nose when Wonshik did it again. Biting the inside of his other ankle. And then taking one of Jaehwan’s hands in each of his, lacing their fingers together once more. Nipping at the inside of Jaehwan’s left wrist, then the right.

The human could feel the prickling running down his arms and legs, could feel the too-soft texture of Wonshik’s thumb brushing rhythmically along the side of his index finger. Could feel the eyes of all the watching monsters trained on his face, their piercing stares like molten metal being poured into his pupils and filling-

_Don’t think about them, Love. Don’t pay them any attention. Focus on me and only me. _

“Your sacrifice is appreciated,” Wonshik said aloud, slowly standing and releasing Jaehwan’s right hand but keeping the left firmly clasped in his strong grip. “With what you have given me, I will be bound to you as much as you will be bound to me. I will not forget our bond or treat it carelessly.”

There was a knife in Taekwoon’s hand, a small silver knife with a double-edged blade and he passed it to his mate with the reverence that sort of moment demanded. The guests had all fallen silent. The human could feel their interest, the intense hum under his skin that meant he was being watched, but he didn’t turn away. Didn’t glance around. Kept his eyes trained on his vampire as Wonshik used his free hand to roll up his sleeve and press the blade against the inside of his own wrist.

It was shallow, a barely-there slice, the flesh knitting itself back together almost immediately and leaving the skin behind unblemished. Even so, a small amount of scarlet blood had pooled in the juncture between arm and hand. Jaehwan stared at it, transfixed. The crimson liquid almost seemed to glow.

Wonshik looked to his mate, handing Taekwoon the now glistening blade and taking a chalice instead, raising Jaehwan’s hand he was holding a bit and tipping a few drops of blood into the vessel with practiced slowness. They made a soft _plink plink_ noise and Jaehwan counted, one, two, three, four, five.

“This is my blood, my precious life,” his vampire said, letting Taekwoon wipe the excess from his wrist with a square of white cotton. Wonshik held the glass out for Jaehwan to take, and he did, fingers trembling the slightest bit. “It is the symbol of my spirit and all that I am. I shed this for you so that you may drink and become one with me, and I may become one with you.”

Jaehwan forced himself to look down into the chalice and finding more liquid than he’d expected. A deep red, but the viscosity was wrong. It wasn’t blood, it was- wine?

_I thought you’d prefer a mixer, rather than a straight shot._

So, it was wine then. With a few drops of blood mixed in. That wasn’t so bad, he probably wouldn’t even taste it.

_You will._

Jaehwan raised the cup to his lips, letting the contents dribble into his mouth. A Cabernet, the human thought, letting the flavors flow across his pallet, full-bodied and moderately tannic. Black cherry, caramel, plum, notes of black current.

_Very good, my little sommelier. Do you think you could tell me the appellation?_

_California, central coast, _Jaehwan thought back. Distracted. There was something else, like a star bursting right on the tip of Jaehwan’s tongue. Like a mouthful of tantric pop rocks.

_Very good, Love, I’m impressed. And I told you, the taste of vampire blood always makes itself known, no matter how pleasing the vintage containing it. _

Jaehwan gulped down the rest of the chalice’s contents, needing no prompting from Wonshik or anyone else. He could feel the energy in the liquid spread through him, the way alcohol warmed one’s stomach after the initial burn had passed. It was similar to that sensation, but more. So much more, like the life that had been missing from these past days was being injected back into his veins.

_That’s exactly what’s happening, your vitality as well as mine._

Wonshik took the chalice from Jaehwan as the human slumped in his chair, breath coming shallow for a few moments. He was actually feeling a bit lightheaded, probably why they had him sit.

“Blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh, two bodies with but one mind, two souls wedded as one. Soul of my soul.” Jaehwan closed his eyes, trying to calm his breathing but he couldn’t focus on building a rhythm. Not with his vampire standing right there, so close, and _feeling_ so many things.

_You’re nervous, _he thought, sending the words to Wonshik with an ease he hadn’t achieved before. It was like the human was peering through a window in the side of his vampire’s head. Could slip in and see through Wonshik’s eyes if he wanted. How strange.

“Everything that I am, you are as well. Never fail to appreciate the sanctity of this precious gift. Let us be bound together, in darkness and in light.” Jaehwan opened his eyes, the forest and stone ruins not seeming so shadowy anymore. The candles flickering brighter.

The guests were on their feet, clapping and cheering and whooping as Jaehwan was pulled from the chair. Wonshik’s strong arms circled his waist, hugging the human tight enough to force the breath from Jaehwan’s lungs.

_Of course, I’m nervous. I just handed you the ability to dig through my deepest darkest secrets whenever you like. It’s not something that happens every day._

Jaehwan focused, looking through the window and trying to call up his vampire's most recent fantasy. He deserved to have some fun. The vision swam before his mind's eye with surprising clarity. Himself and Taekwoon, both stripped bare and kneeling on the floor at Wonshik’s feet. Wonshik’s cock down his throat and Wonshik’s hand in Taekwoon’s hair. Him and Taekwoon touching each other, fighting over Wonshik, begging to-

“That’s enough,” Wonshik breathed, the words tickling against the shell of Jaehwan’s ear as the vision melted away. Jaehwan could sense the arousal starting to build in his vampire's mind, secondhand waves of it growing inside himself. Additionally, Jaehwan didn’t feel all that cold anymore. He was able to notice the chill, his brain told him it was cold out, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as before. And the other unknown vampires didn’t seem as scary either. Sure, they were dominating the majority of attention, a little shudder running through him each time he felt them looking, but a bit less threatening.

_You’re very toasty_, the human thought, pushing the words into his vampire’s head.

Jaehwan flexed his fingers, tentatively resting them on Wonshik’s shoulders. He was aware of each stretch of tendon and bend of joint, more aware of his own body. More in control. And Wonshik _was_ toasty. It was much harder to feel scared of him when Jaehwan could read very clearly that he wasn’t in danger.

“Congratulations, Shik!”

The human looked around at the unfamiliar voice, Wonshik’s grip on him loosening as he moved to give a strange vampire a one-armed hug. The vampire was tall, with beautiful caramel skin and a facial structure that looked like it had been sculpted by god himself. He had golden eyes as well, full of joy and a weird sort of kindness.

“Thank you, and thank you for coming on such short notice! I know it was a bit spur of the moment.”

Jaehwan was only half listening. He was staring at the second unfamiliar person, shorter than the first with straight black hair and brown eyes. They looked- were those contacts? Wonshik released the one who was clearly a vampire, pausing and waiting for him to nod before quickly hugging the human looking one.

“Love, these are my friends, Jongin,” he pointed to the tall one, “And his thrall, Taemin,” pointing to the shorter. So, he _was _a human. “And this is Jaehwan,” Wonshik added, poking the tip of Jaehwan’s nose.

Jaehwan watched them with mild distrust, hanging of Wonshik’s arm and idly sifting through his vampire's seemingly endless stash of memories.

◤◤ ◤◤

“I can’t do this with you right now, Shik, you’re pissing me off!”

Sanghyuk peeked from behind a tree, watching his nestmates and best friend. Jaehwan and Wonshik were still tangled together, on the ground in a sort of cubby formed by large tree roots, and Taekwoon was standing over them with his arms crossed.

“Baby, just calm down, will you? Please? We talked about this last night,” Wonshik replied, dropping his head back against the tree trunk and shutting his eyes.

“You can’t just ditch me like this at public functions, let alone ones that we’re hosting! It’s humiliating!”

At least Jaehwan looked better, Sanghyuk thought, making sure his body was completely concealed. He looked less like a corpse and more a glowing beacon of radiant vitality. A hint of bitterness rose in the young vampire’s throat, seeing Jaehwan and Wonshik so close together.

“I didn’t _ditch _you! You were with Hakyeon! Talking to _your_ friends!”

“So, you decided to leave just because you didn’t have my undivided attention?! How old are you?!"

Wonshik sighed, clearly getting frustrated. “That’s not why you’re upset and we both know it,” he snapped, stopping Jaehwan when he tried to stand. They had a completely silent conversation, the two of them, looking at each other through weighty eyes before Jaehwan settled back against the tree. Watching the exchange made Sanghyuk’s skin crawl unpleasantly.

“Making me officiate was one thing, but then leaving me alone right afterwards?!”

“Would you have preferred someone else officiating?”

“No, but that’s not the point! All I do is indulge you and yet you insist on disrespecting me at every turn!”

Taekwoon looked furious, but this wasn’t abnormal. The two of them were always fighting and making up, Sanghyuk thought, less focused on their domestic and paying more attention to his best friend. Jaehwan kept petting the side of Wonshik’s ribs with the tips of his pretty fingers. It was taking a lot of control for the young vampire to not bolt over and pull his hand away.

“Baby, I'm not disrespecting you, but you do realize that you’re pitching a fit about my thrall on our bonding day? Literally, it hasn’t even been two hours. Why are you trying so hard to ruin this for me?”

“I’m not _ruining_ anything!”

“Yes, you are. And you’re too possessive for your own good, baby. Even for one of our kind.”

The elder snarled, causing Jaehwan to wince in surprise, and again it was supremely difficult for Sanghyuk not to run to his side and shield him. “You don’t understand! You’ve never had to live without a mate, never had to be alone! I lived for one hundred and eighty-one years without you, now I had to give you away?! Do you understand how hard that is?!”

“It’s probably best not to be caught spying,” Hakyeon’s voice murmured, appearing behind Sanghyuk and making him jump. He led the young vampire away from their arguing nestmates and back in the direction of the party.

“I meant to talk to you actually,” Sanghyuk said, pulling his sire to a stop when they were a suitable distance away. “I think I have a really big problem.”

Hakyeon gave him a serious look, not asking, just waiting until the younger was ready to speak. And it took Sanghyuk a few moments. “I think I just lost my mate.”

“What do you mean?” the elder said, tone sharp.

“I think- I didn’t realize until he smelled like someone else. And now it’s too late.”

“You got the feeling?” Hakyeon prompted, Sanghyuk nodding forlornly. He _had _gotten the feeling, ever since the first day they'd met. His cute little Hwannie Hyung with his big eyes and pointy ears. The way he always smelled like musky roses and the sugary taste of his blood. It had all been perfect. And now it was gone.

“Why didn't you say something sooner?! We could have stopped this!”

“I don’t know! I just didn’t realize! And now he’s gone forever!”

Hakyeon let out a tired sigh, both of them starting slightly as the blur that was Taekwoon bolted past them in the direction of the house. “You’re young, darling. Your mate could still be out there so don’t lose hope. But I must go and deal with this mess now. Keep an eye on my Kongie, will you? I know he’s very independent but if we leave, he’ll get lonely.”

Sanghyuk nodded, accepting a gentle peck to his forehead before Hakyeon darted away to follow Taekwoon.

◤◤ ◤◤

Wonshik woke slowly as the sun set behind the horizon. It was earlier than he normally woke, hazy light coloring the sky more indigo than black. But having a warm human body beside him was something he was still unused too.

Normally when he woke, Taekwoon was the one huddled up against him. Skin cold as death, just like Wonshik’s own. But his mate had left the house with Hakyeon as soon as the ritual was completed to_ ‘calm down and think’._ So now, Jaehwan was the one in his bed. His thrall. His pretty little human thrall, twin of his mind and twin of his spirit. No matter how unwilling Jaehwan had been before, the transition changed humans. He couldn’t hate Wonshik, just as Wonshik couldn’t hate him. They were one.

The vampire let his gaze flick to the other side of the bed. Jaehwan was there, sprawled on his stomach, face in the pillow so it looked like he was going to smother himself, thick coverlet wrapped around one of his legs. They were in the guest room, or Wonshik guessed it was Jaehwan’s room now. His and Taekwoon’s bed was off limits to everyone else, thrall or not.

“Emnem...”

Wonshik blinked, focusing on Jaehwan’s face more intently. There was a little furrow between his eyebrows, but his eyes were still shut. “Love,” the vampire hummed, only earning a sleepy little snuffle in response. So, his thrall was asleep, or half asleep, but his mouth was open in a gape. A tiny bit of saliva dampening his pillow, not enough to be unpleasant though. Just a little, a thin clear path from the corner of his mouth.

“Love,” Wonshik repeated, reaching out to trail his hand across his thralls back. Jaehwan let out a soft whimper, lower lip trembling as he arched away from the vampire’s chilly fingertips.

_Love? Jaehwan Love, are you dreaming?_

_Yeah._

The human shifted, hips stuttering as he started rutting into the mattress. Little, aborted movements, thighs squeezed tight together. Wonshik was suddenly feeling much more awake.

_Is it a good dream?_

_Mmhm_

_What are you dreaming about?_

Wonshik let his hand slip lower, smiling as he traced the bumps and ridges of Jaehwan’s spine.

_You._

_Oh, you are, are you?_

The human made a cute little mewling sound, pillowcase crinkling in his fist.

_Mmhm._

_What am I doing in your dream, Love?_

The tips of the vampire’s fingers tripped over the curve of Jaehwan’s lower back and up the gentle swell of his ass, edging a bit closer.

_Biting me._

_You like being bitten that much?_

Jaehwan hips stuttered again, shoulder muscles tensing as he hugged the pillow.

_Yes_.

Wonshik watched his thrall with predatory focus, noting the red flush dusting the tip of Jaehwan’s ears, his cheeks, the bridge of his nose. His cute little human was having a wet dream. How precious...

_Do you want to wake up?_

Jaehwan whimpered again, eyelashes fluttering but remaining closed.

_No._

_What do you want then?_

_Daddy touch me. _

That was even more precious, his human has a daddy kink. The vampire rested a hand on the back of Jaehwan’s thigh, slipping a finger under the hem of his little blue satin shorts. Jaehwan shivered.

_Cold daddy. _

Wonshik dialed up his internal thermometer, watching as his human immediately relaxed.

_Where do you want me to touch you, Love?_

_Big boy parts._

That reply gave the vampire a moment’s pause. He’d heard it all and done it all in his eighty-three years, so this wasn’t really a surprise for him. Especially with the bratty way his human liked to behave. Being a little wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for Jaehwan.

_Are you feeling little right now, Love?_

_Mmhm. _

_I see. And you want me to touch your big boy parts?_

_Uh huh. _

The vampire stroked the back of Jaehwan’s thigh, deliberating. On the one hand... but on the other hand...

One of those hands found its way into the human’s hair, tugging on it gently to coax another whine from between his plush lips. Jaehwan was so _alive, _alive and adorable and apparently very horny. Wonshik could help but smirk.

_Come here. _

Jaehwan squirmed a little but didn’t actually listen.

_If you come here, you can ride my thigh. _

Wonshik’s smirk widened into a grin as his human snuffled, movements sleep soft. Jaehwan scooted over and immediately latched onto the vampire’s front.

_Please daddy?_

_Yes Love, spread your legs for me. _

The human’s legs fell open and Wonshik easily lifted him up, settling his thrall low on his lap. Jaehwan’s head lolled as he slumped on the vampire’s chest, hiding his face in the crook of Wonshik’s neck.

_Please. _

Jaehwan’s legs bracketed one of his and he began grinding down on Wonshik’s thigh. His hot little puffs of breath made the vampire's skin tingle. The warmth of the human’s body and being able to feel his hard-on weren't doing Wonshik’s self control any favors either.

_Is this what you wanted, Love?_

_No, playtime please._

Wonshik smiled affectionately into Jaehwan’s hair, letting his hands come to rest on his thrall’s petite waist. Jaehwan began rolling his hips a bit most insistently. He rocked tight little circles into the fabric of Wonshik’s sweatpants, the vampire able to feel his thrall’s desperation calling to him through their connection. He could also sense that his human was significantly more awake. That was probably for the best.

_No touching until you wake up, Love. _

Jaehwan mewled, the satin shorts making it easy for him to slide back and forth against Wonshik’s thigh.

_Bite please._

_None of that until you’re awake either._

Wonshik chuckled under his breath, feeling Jaehwan’s hands fist the front of his shirt, whining into his shoulder. This was a very pleasant way to get up in the morning, Wonshik thought, rubbing his human's back.

“You’re doing such a good job, Love,” the vampire cooed, speaking allowed in the hopes that it would rouse his sleepy human more efficiently. He hitched up his thigh a bit, coaxing a whimper from Jaehwan that was significantly higher pitched than the previous ones. He could actually, genuinely _feel_ the pleasure coursing through his human’s body. It was exhilarating.

_Daddy..._

Jaehwan nipped at the side of Wonshik’s neck, clearly wanting more attention. He slid forwards enough that he was practically rutting against the side of the vampire’s hip. He was so _warm, _getting warmer all the time, movements jerky, Wonshik able to smell the arousal rolling off his skin. It was a heady smell, too, vitality leaking from Jaehwan’s every pore. Wonshik loved his mate, loved his Woonie with the entirety of his undead heart, but something about humans was just intoxicating.

_You look so pretty riding my thigh, Love. _

Jaehwan whimpered, moaning into the crook of the vampire’s neck, exuding shame.

_It’s very entertaining, watching you turn yourself into a little whiny mess._

The thoughts Jaehwan was sending at Wonshik we’re nothing more than fragmented gibberish, his climax fast approaching. And he was fully awake now, fully present, although it didn’t help assuage the frantic mumbling running through his head. It was too fast for Wonshik to keep up with, so he simply waited, rubbing Jaehwan’s back and getting secondhand-high off his humans’ pleasure.

“Can I? Puh-please?” Jaehwan asked aloud, voice high and thin, forming the question against Wonshik’s collarbone. The vampire deliberated for a few moments, enjoying his human’s neediness.

“Not yet.”

Jaehwan lifted his head, thighs trembling, looking at Wonshik through watery, unfocused eyes. The vampire could see the messy desperation their and he adored it.

_Please please please daddy please!_

“No. Actually, now that I’ve given the matter some thought, you can’t come for a while,” Wonshik replied, grinning. His hands found Jaehwan’s waist again, lifting his human up and holding him six inches off the bed. Vampire strength really was an underrated concept.

Jaehwan squirmed in Wonshik’s tight grip, sending the vampire a frenzied mental collage of longing and frustration as all friction was taken away from him.

He reached down but the vampire dropped him on his back, catching his hands easily and pinning them above his head.

_You’re so beautiful, Love, such a good boy._

_Please daddy, please let me-_

“No, Love,” Wonshik said aloud, watching his cute little thralls’ legs fall open, burying his face against the side of his own arm. The vampire leaned down, laying a series of featherlight kisses along the column of his human’s neck.

_You spread your legs for me, but you won’t look at me? Are you shy, Love?_

He lightly ran his fingers over Jaehwan’s crotch, delighting in the hardness there. Brushing back and forth with agonizing slowness until he pulled his hand away. Caressing his human’s thigh instead. Jaehwan squirmed and wriggled, desperate for friction of any kind.

_If you want to come so badly, just touch yourself._

The vampire knew full well that Jaehwan couldn't touch himself with his hands pinned up, but he couldn’t stop a grin at Jaehwan’s needy whimper. He edged his human like that for almost an hour, pushing him to the limit and dragging him back again over and over until Jaehwan could do nothing but twitch. Tears of frustration streaming down his flushed cheeks and lips bitten red raw. Hips shaking with overstimulation.

“You want it? You want to come for me, Love?” Wonshik murmured in Jaehwan’s ear, curling his fingers into his human’s heat. Jaehwan’s body jerked, so deep in subspace that he couldn’t even beg properly.

_Bite bite bite daddy bite_

Wonshik thrust three digits into his thrall, hard and relentless until Jaehwan was crying uncontrollably. Trying his best to squirm away, restrained by the vampire’s iron grip on his waist.

“You’ve been such a good, obedient boy, I’ll let you have a reward.”

Jaehwan sobbed, mewling brokenly as Wonshik bit into his neck right above his mark, coming hard on the vampire’s fingers. His release splattered across his stomach, dirtying his satin pajama shirt but neither human nor vampire particularly cared.

Wonshik growled, low and deep, gulping as his thrall’s blood pulsed into his open mouth. His skin tasted of the mingled salt from sweat and tears, life force spiked with the sweetness of Jaehwan’s euphoria. Jaehwan clung to his arm with weak hands, moaning pitifully, limp and pliant in Wonshik’s embrace.

The bloodlust was different now, now that he could feel just how drained his thrall was getting. Like the vampire was the one being bitten. He pulled back a little, flicking his tongue over the puncture wounds so they would heal.

“You did so well, such a good boy,” the vampire hummed, dropping soft kisses on Jaehwan’s cheeks. He tugged the shirt up, smoothing a hand flat over his human’s tummy and soothing his shaking thighs. “My little cutie.”

_Daddy, I’m all filthy now..._

Wonshik swallowed a laugh, combing his fingers lightly through his thrall’s hair.

_Yes, you are, Love. Let's get you cleaned up and into fresh clothes._

-

“Sanghyuk? You brought some of Jyani’s stuff over, didn’t you?” Wonshik called, leading his thrall into the kitchen by the hand. They had showered together and put on clean clothes, the vampire intending to take his human back to bed when he had begun to sense Jaehwan’s hunger. So now, here they were, Jaehwan still in his little space and Wonshik intending to try and cook. What a way to start a morning.

His youngest nestmate appeared in the kitchen, giving the two a surly look as Jaehwan latched onto Wonshik’s front. “Yeah, it’s in the entry hall. Why?”

_What was it you wanted again, Love?_

_Sketchbook._

“Did you bring a sketchbook?” Wonshik asked aloud, rummaging around in the pantry for something to feed his thrall and trying not to squish Jaehwan against the counter in the process. He heard Sanghyuk huff out an unnecessary breath. “Yeah, and his liners and stuff.”

“Would you mind grabbing them for me?”

“Why can’t you grab them yourself?”

Wonshik glanced over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes. “What’s with the attitude?” he asked, doing his best not to be distracted by the tips of his human’s fingers digging into his hips.

“You wouldn’t understand,” the younger snapped, sounding the picture of a bratty teenager. But he did bolt away and reappear with the art supplies Wonshik had asked for. Small mercies.

_Go and sit at the counter, Love. You can draw while I cook._

Jaehwan pouted, his pretty lips jutting out in an expression of pure petulance. Wonshik couldn’t help but coo, cupping his adorable human’s cheeks. He walked Jaehwan over to the island and unlatched him, prodding him in the direction of one of the barstools and taking the book and pens from his nestmate.

“Thank you.”

“What’s the matter?” Sanghyuk asked, tone so tense it was on the edge of snapping. “Nothing, he’s just a bit little at the moment,” Wonshik replied evenly, setting the art supplies on the island and pressing a kiss to his human’s forehead.

“He gets that way when he’s stressed. Have you been stressing him out?”

“I don’t care for your accusatory tone,” the elder hissed, glaring at Sanghyuk on his way back to the pantry and receiving a glare in return.

_Have I been stressing you out, Love?_

_A bit._

Wonshik looked at his human, trying to send him to most affectionate feelings he could.

_I’m sorry, Love._

_It’s okay, I’m happy now._

And Jaehwan did look happy, contentedly splashing colors across a blank page, lip caught between his teeth in concentration. Jaehwan really was so, _so_ precious.

“Will you stop doing that?!”

Wonshik glanced at his nestmate, able to smell Sanghyuk’s anger now.

“Stop what?”

“Stop having secret conversations! It’s so fucking annoying!”

Guilt began to pulse from his thrall, Wonshik’s temper flaring at that. “No. That’s the easiest way for us to communicate. And if you’re going to upset my human, I’m going to ask you to leave.”

It was weird, Wonshik decided, going from wanting someone solely for physical reasons to actually caring about them. Especially in such a short amount of time. Overwhelming actually. He was unused to having feelings for anyone but his mate, and Taekwoon was currently being a brat so there was nobody to distract him. Wonshik hadn’t anticipated all these _feelings _when he decided to get himself an immortal juice box.

Sanghyuk snarled at him, the action full of such aggression that Wonshik took an instinctive step back. A surge of fright that was not his own rose in Wonshik’s mind and he snarled right back at his nestmate, darting across the kitchen and getting in Sanghyuk’s face.

“Get the fuck out. Go calm down and compose yourself, and don’t come back until you can behave with dignity,” he hissed, narrowing his eyes. His nestmate was normally so non-confrontational, it was jarring to see Sanghyuk so clearly angry.

After a few moments, the younger growled softly, shooting a heated look in the human’s direction before he bolted from the room.

_Are you alright, my Love? Did he scare you?_

Wonshik hastened to his human’s side, wrapping Jaehwan up in a hug and pressing a series of soft kisses into his hairline. He wasn’t getting a coherent reply, more just a jumble of worry and fear, so he sent calming pictures into Jaehwan’s mind. Pictures of puppies mostly, but it did seem to help. Wonshik continued to soothe his human, contemplating what in the holy hell was wrong with Sanghyuk and where on earth his mate was. He needed Taekwoon to come home. Fast.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are wondering about the lore I’ve been referencing throughout this story, you can find information about vampire marking [HERE](http://www.angelfire.com/ca5/zombiequeen/vampmarks.html) and an overview of the ritual I used for inspiration [HERE](https://www.sacred-texts.com/goth/vrb/vrb10.htm%E2%80%9Drel=) . I wasn’t about to make Lee Jaehwan ANYONES servant, though, so I romanced the basic principles up a bit. 
> 
> COMMENTS AND KUDOS ARE LOVED <3
> 
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[Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/nestras_rvng)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *The people asked for more evil Bin, and evil Bin is what you shall receive*
> 
> *Happy halloween*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for biting, and also character death but there's no description and it isn't graphic

“Welcome back to the world of the living. Or... well you know what I mean,” Taekwoon said, brushing Jaehwan’s hair off his face. 

Jaehwan blinked his eyes open and looked up, getting lost in that deep silver gaze as the vampire’s body temperature spiked to a comfortable warmth. “Hello,” he muttered, clearing his throat. It was dry again, gritty, almost sticky after his nap. He’d gotten sore throats like this in the past, Jaehwan thought, the aftereffects of Sanghyuk's secret feeding time, so the roughness wasn’t abnormal. But it _was_uncomfortable. 

“Is it always going to be like this?” Jaehwan asked, once he had downed the proffered glass of water. Taekwoon smiled softly, tugging the blanket around Jaehwan’s shoulders down just a little. “You already do better than most humans, like you’ve had years of practice. One of the benefits of being a thrall.”

Jaehwan frowned at that, the vampire cooing and prodding gently at his lower lip. “Don’t pout, there’s nothing to pout about.”

Taekwoon had been back from his and Hakyeon’s little therapy vacation for about two weeks now, and he was acting like the fight after the ritual never happened. It had been less of a fight and more of a temper tantrum, but honestly, Jaehwan would have expected more mature behavior from a vampire so old. 

“You’re glowy,” Jaehwan muttered, poking the vampire’s cheek. It had only been Wonshik that fed earlier, or ever, since Jaehwan’s transformation. Taekwoon must be thirsty. Jaehwan turned his head, eyes half closed, bearing his throat to make it easier for the vampire. 

“It’s a bit too soon, darling, don’t you think?”

Jaehwan shook his head, pushing himself up on shaky arms and sliding onto the vampire’s lap. 

“Don’t tell me you’re not thirsty, I can see it,” he replied quietly, heart leaping as Taekwoon’s tongue darted out to moisten his lips. The vampire was hungry, no doubt about it. Better to have him here with Jaehwan rather than out hurting others.

Taekwoon hesitated, but the thirst was too strong, Jaehwan saw his fangs extend. “Maybe... maybe just a little. Wonshik took a lot from you already.” 

“Take whatever you need so you don’t kill some random person on the street, I’ll be fine,” Jaehwan replied, shifting to a more comfortable position.

He knew he sounded like a brat, and so the equally bratty reply he got was no surprise. “You don’t have to act like such a martyr.” The vampire's silver eyes sparked, his head lowered, Jaehwan’s breath caught. 

He didn’t think he’d ever get over the sting. The rush of pain followed so swiftly by pleasure it was like the hurt wasn’t even there. Jaehwan squeezed his eyes shut, fisting the front of the vampire’s shirt as Taekwoon cradled him close. He felt his extremities, his fingers and toes, start to tingle from the loss of blood. 

_Oh, this is very interesting._

“Woonie- that’s enough,” he breathed, but the vampire didn’t stop. He had already drunk plenty, Jaehwan was getting good at telling how it felt when they took a lot from him. Maybe this was why two monsters didn’t normally share a human. Too easy to accidentally kill it. 

_He won’t kill you, it would kill me as well, but this does feel quite nice._

Jaehwan noticed himself going limp, his death grip on the vampire’s shirt slackening, his blood slowly but surely being replaced with poison. He _did_ say Taekwoon could have however much he needed, and it was still better than the alternative. Better him than someone else. Someone innocent. 

With a _growl_of a groan, Taekwoon pulled off him, mouth shiny with a sheen of fresh blood. Jaehwan’s blood. The light in his eyes had dimmed considerably. Good. 

Jaehwan panted, feeling entirely too weak in the monster’s arms.

_You feel so pliant, Love, I wish I was there. _

“Shikkie likes it when you bite me,” he muttered, trying to clear his throat and will the numbness to leave his extremities.

Taekwoon stared back at him, bemused. “He does?”

_I definitely do. _

“He definitely does,” Jaehwan replied, shooting Wonshik a mental ‘shut up.’

_Try something else, I want to know if I can feel that too._

_Something else?_

_Tell him to touch you._

“Shikkie says you should touch me,” Jaehwan added, pausing a moment before muttering, “He says that you should fuck me the way you fuck him. The fun way.”

Taekwoon was still, eyeing the shaky, woozy human for almost a full minute. Just the thought of being used by the beautiful vampire was turning Jaehwan on. Having his hair pulled and his skin marked, being manhandled and slapped. Jaehwan squeezed his palms together as inconspicuously as he could. 

_Oh, you like that idea, Love? Such a naughty boy... Why don’t you try and initiate? I’m sure my mate won’t say no. _

Well, he was already on Taekwoon’s lap, might as well try and get something for himself. So Jaehwan leaned in and ran his tongue across the vampire’s lower lip, the taste of iron and his own blood jarring something deep inside him. 

“The fun way?”

“That’s what he said, yeah.”

Lighting fast, too fast for Jaehwan to even register, he was flat on his back on the floor. “We’re going to play the quiet game,” the vampire said, pulling Jaehwan’s clothing off piece by piece. Jaehwan nodded, shivering as the vampire’s hands ran down his torso.

_Oh, good. He understood what I meant. This is a very entertaining game, Love, you’ll enjoy yourself. _

“Is he paying attention?”

Jaehwan nodded again. 

“Excellent.”

◤◤ ◤◤

“You’re so pretty, Love, my pretty little thrall.”

Jaehwan blinked up at his partner, covered in his own blood and sticky with sweat. Not entirely his own blood. Or was it? It had come from Taekwoon’s veins but wasn’t it Jaehwan’s blood first? He didn’t know. 

Wonshik cradled the human in his strong arms, pressing kisses to Jaehwan’s cheeks. Worming his way into Jaehwan’s heart, into his brain, into his lungs.

_You’re a human intoxicant._

_Not exactly human, now am I, Love?_

He couldn’t turn his head, couldn’t look at the mess slowly dampening the thick shag carpet roughly three feet away. 

_Why did you do that baby? Why did you do that to your mate?_

Wonshik laughed softly, a sad sound, stroking Jaehwan’s blood-soaked hair. 

_Drinking from you was one thing, but touching you..._

A pause, his partner's eyes glazing over.

_I didn’t like that. I’m the only one who gets the privilege of making you feel that way. _

Jaehwan blinked. He could feel the pain burning toxic in his partner's stomach. The rage. The jealousy. He couldn’t even imagine having to sit by as Wonshik felt... _things._Someone else making him feel those things. It was unthinkable. He _almost_ understood the logic behind the murder. 

“I love him, trust me, I do,” his partner murmured, whispering the words into Jaehwan’s hair.

“I trust you,” Jaehwan replied, because he did. He could sense the love Wonshik felt for Taekwoon, even now. Even when his corpse was slowly, if not cooling, then beginning to decompose right there on the floor. 

“I love him too.”

They had found Jaehwan together, hunted him together, loved him together, tasted him together. He liked Taekwoon, almost more than he had liked Wonshik before their bonding day. Taekwoon was soft, a little possessive, that was true, but still so kind. He really did like-

_Please, Love, stop thinking about him like that. It hurts._

Jaehwan cupped his partner's cheeks, eyes closed, finding Wonshik’s mouth by feel alone. 

_When did you grow so tender?_

“I’ve always been tender, it’s just a hard trait for you to notice,” Jaehwan replied aloud, trying his best to stop shaking. Taekwoon’s face was nothing more than a watercolor impressions behind his eyes. It should have been harder to kill a vampire that old, but his partner dealt his mate’s deathblow like it was nothing. Ripping out his-

“Stop, Love, _please,”_Wonshik whispered, resting his forehead against the human's. He was breathing hard, albeit unnecessarily, Jaehwan able to hear the pitter-patter of his frantic heart. 

“They all warned me, said the bond would be too much for me to handle but I didn’t listen.”

“It’s okay baby, we’ll find a way to make him better. Maybe Hakyeon can bring him back? He’s done miraculous things before, saved Sanghyuk-”

“Oh... what is _this?”_

Jaehwan looked up, clinging to his snarling partner as Wonshik shoved him back. “None of your concern, Bin.”

Hongbin’s silver eyes flicked from Taekwoon’s body to Wonshik and back again. “You didn’t...”

“Get out!”

“No, no I can’t do that... not when your grief is so delicious,” Hongbin replied, his beautiful face splitting in a hungry smile. “Why’d you do it, Shikkie, huh? I know it wasn’t your human toy.”

“He- he was- it was too much, okay?!” 

Wonshik’s voice cracked, a sob racking his body and Jaehwan hugged him tight. Trying to hold the broken pieces of his partner together with sheer force of will. “Tell me more, entertain me with your self-loathing.”

“I didn’t do it to entertain you, fucking monster! I didn’t mean to do it at all!”

“Mom is going to be apoplectic when he finds out what you’ve done,” Hongbin purred, slinking further into the room as his smile grew. “I might just tell him. Woonie was the only one of you whose company I actually enjoyed. It would serve you right.”

“He won’t hurt me, no matter how much you want him to. He sired me same as the rest of you,” Wonshik replied, inching backward and moving the human back with him. Jaehwan could taste the fear leaking from his partner's pores, or maybe it was his own fear. Telling whose feelings were whose was getting more and more difficult. 

“No... you’re mistaken on that count.” Wonshik went very still.

“Stop taunting him! Can’t you see how much he’s hurting?!” Jaehwan shouted, trying and failing to stay calm. His fingers dug into his partner's shoulders but Wonshik didn’t seem to notice. 

“No. That’s what we _told_you, what they _agreed_to tell you. To make you feel better. It was Woonie’s decision,” Hongbin continued, his steps not slowing even for a moment. “He was your sire, Shikkie. You just murdered your _sire_ in cold blood... if you’ll forgive the pun.”

“You’re a filthy fucking liar,” Wonshik spat, a hand lifting seemingly of its own accord and curling around the nape of Jaehwan’s neck. The human sensed the ice cut through his partner's mind. Inside his head was pitch black, like the light that normally dwelled there had been snuffed out. 

Hongbin laughed quietly, sending a shiver of terror skipping up Jaehwan’s spine. “He didn’t want things to be uncomfortable between you. Didn’t want you to think he had been the one to steal the life from your bones, but alas...”

Distant footsteps, barely audible to Jaehwan but no doubt obvious to the vampires. Too heavy to be Hakyeon.

_I’ll go head him off baby, you’re going to be alright._

_No. No you can’t leave me yet, no!_

Jaehwan squeezed his partner's upper arm, pressing a kiss behind his ear.

_It will only take a moment. I’ll be right back._

The human stood, brushing his fingers through Wonshik’s hair before scampering from the room, sticking to the wall so he could stay as far from Hongbin as possible. “Didn’t you ever question why he was so possessive? Hated seeing you in the company of others?”

“He’s my _mate!”_

“Didn’t you ever wonder why you’re Yeon’s least favorite child? He has no bond with you Shikkie-”

The sounds of their horrible conversation abruptly cut off as Jaehwan jogged down the hallway. It was dark but his eyes adjusted, new vision lighting up the shadows like the place was full of candles. 

“We need to talk,” Sanghyuk whispered, clearly smelling Jaehwan before seeing him. The human had only barely made it around the corner before his best friend began to speak. Jaehwan cleared his throat, modulating his voice to an easy register.

“About what?”

“I’m leaving.”

“You’re _what?!”_

Sanghyuk’s back was turned, so he wasn’t able to see Jaehwan’s fingers twitch. “I’m leaving. I can’t be around you two any longer, it’s going to drive me insane. I need some time on my own. To think.”

“You _can’t_leave!” Jaehwan exclaimed, staring at the back of his best friend’s head in disbelief. 

“And why not?”

“You just can’t!”

His best friend spun around with a sigh and then audibly gasped, his golden eyes raking the length of Jaehwan’s body in a heartbeat. Shit, he was still covered in blood. Another blink and Sanghyuk was standing directly before him. “What the hell did they do to you?!”

A spike of fear that was not his own made Jaehwan jump.

_Are you alright, baby?_

_Not even fucking close._

“Nothing! We were just playing!” the human replied, skittering away when his friend reached out to touch him. Sanghyuk blinked at him in shock.

“You shouldn’t be alive after that much blood loss! How are you still breathing?! How could Wonshik even manage to do that to you without killing himself?!”

Jaehwan winced. It wasn’t all his blood, but his best friends’ logic was sound regardless. “I’m fine, okay?! Explain why you want to leave all of a sudden in more depth, please, because I don’t like the sound of it.”

“You don’t need me anymore, you don’t even want to hang out with me, and I _hate_watching you interact with them. I can’t even walk into my own family’s home without smelling you and it’s making me sick, so I have to go,” Sanghyuk replied, words pouring from his mouth so hastily that Jaehwan took the liberty of inserting punctuation for him. 

“I thought you said I smell good, why would it make you sick all of a sudden?”

_You do smell good, Love. Please, get rid of him and come back. I need you._

Jaehwan caught himself taking a half-step down the hall to his bedroom and forced himself to stay still. 

“It’s different now. _You’re_ different now and I hate it so I’m leaving.”

Jaehwan winced again, trying not to notice the way his best friend was surreptitiously sniffing at him. “You can’t just leave. I’ll wear cologne if that helps,” he snapped, crossing his arms over his crimson stained chest. 

“Why not?”

Another rod of pain, straight through his stomach. “Fuck I gotta- just stay here please, and don’t leave,” Jaehwan said, turning to go back to his partner. To try and assuage some of the agony Wonshik was feeling. 

_I’m coming baby, just one more minute._

_Hurry up._

Sanghyuk grabbed his hand. That was a no-no. “You haven’t told me why not.”

“Because I said _no!”_Jaehwan shook his friend off, hard. He made it halfway down the hall before his friend appeared in his way. “Move!” Jaehwan hissed, freezing in place as Sanghyuk leaned in close. Too close. Not touching, but it was worse somehow. Sanghyuk’s face was no more than a breath away from Jaehwan’s pulse point.

“This isn’t...” Sanghyuk took a deep, _deep_breath. “Taeky?”

And then he was gone. Just ran the fuck off down the hallway with that unnatural speed that still made the hair on the back of Jaehwan’s neck stand straight up. “No! Wait come back!” he shouted, jogging the rest of the way to his room. Sanghyuk was standing there, hand braced on the doorframe, expression of horror on his face. 

“What did you do.”

A statement, not a question. “It was an accident, he didn’t mean to do it,” Jaehwan explained hastily, attempting to pull his friend away. Sanghyuk didn’t budge, it was like trying to move an oak tree. Wonshik was backed into a corner with his knees against his chest, almost as much blood staining his skin as there was on Jaehwan. Hongbin was stalking back in forth before him, murmuring things too softly for Jaehwan to hear. By the look on his face, Jaehwan could only assume that they weren’t kind.

_Come here._

Jaehwan tried to step inside but his best friend blocked his way. “I’m telling mom.”

“I love an intellectual man,” Hongbin snickered, grinning like he’d just heard the best joke in the world.

“You can’t!” Jaehwan exclaimed, but Sanghyuk had already taken off. Wonshik bolted after him in a blink, Hongbin catching Jaehwan around the middle when the human tried to follow. 

“Let go of me!” he hissed, wriggling in the monster’s arms and attempting to kick Hongbin’s shins. The monster laughed, so deep Jaehwan felt the vibrations of it against his back.

“No, no you get to watch mom kill your partner for murdering his child in cold blood.”

“Fuck off you crazy piece of shit!”

_Baby come here please, Hongbin is scaring me!_

“No... no, no, no,” the monster whispered, clicking his tongue and hugging the human just that bit too tight. “Yeon is going to rip Shikkie limb from limb, take him apart piece by piece and tear out his organs one by one. You should see my mate when he’s in a rage, it's truly a fantastic thing. You’re going to watch.”

_Sanghyuk’s trying to get back at me._

_Get back at you for what, baby?_

_He think’s you’re his mate, he’s fucking delusional. _

Jaehwan stopped struggling, his heart stopped beating. He couldn’t even hear the vile things Hongbin was whispering in his ear anymore. 

_He thinks I’m his what?_

_His mate. It’s not true he just doesn't understand how anything about our kind works. He gets confused between feelings of friendship and feelings of attachment._

Jaehwan’s eyes slid out of focus, going limp in the monster’s arms. His mind raced a mile a minute. Sanghyuk, his best friend? His mate? But that wasn’t possible... they had never been intimate! Not even close! Not in that way! Sanghyuk wasn’t even gay! He was just Jaehwan’s giant best friend! He didn’t like Jaehwan that way, he had a girlfriend! Granted, Jaehwan had never met the girlfriend but Sanghyuk talked about her all the time! He- 

_Breathe, Love. I won’t let him touch you. He used to think the same thing about me before he went on his soul-searching trip. You and I are going to get out of here, okay?_

_Okay..._

Jaehwan couldn’t process any of this, not so soon after Woonie. He was so confused...

_Didn’t you two used to be best friends? Didn’t you save him?_

_We were more than that, Love. He was obsessed with me and I thought it was so endearing at the time. He used to be so cute... but he got too attached. Yeon kicked him out for his own good._

_Baby you’re confusing me._

_Shh, it’s alright. As soon as I stop his dumb ass from ruining my life, I’ll come get you._

“What are you two talking about? Plotting more murder?” Hongbin asked, laughing against Jaehwan’s temple. The human shivered. Hongbin was so cold...

“Aren’t you not supposed to touch me,” Jaehwan whispered, wriggling a little. The monster squeezed him tighter.

“Why would it matter when your master is about two minutes away from being killed? Now that I think about it... I could bite you if I felt like it...”

“No! You most certainly could _not!”_ Jaehwan squeaked, heart rate speeding up at the mere suggestion of such a thing. This monster wasn’t like the rest. There was no humanity left in him, no morality, no decency. Only evil. Hongbin was back-hugging him, holding him with one arm locked around his middle, that soft laughter never stopping, not for one second.

“Why not, little human? Why not, huh?”

The monster grabbed Jaehwan’s chin and pulled his head back until it rested on his shoulder. Too firm for Jaehwan to fight against. His breath was getting ragged. 

_Baby, Hongbin’s gonna bite me, help!_

_He wouldn’t fucking dare._

_His teeth are about an inch from my neck, come back!_

“He’s not in the house, little human. He and Sanghyuk ran into the forest to track down Yeon. Nobody is coming for you.”

“Stop it!” Jaehwan shouted, squirming as much as he could. Hongbin held him still like he was nothing more than a feather in a breeze. He felt the monster’s fangs brush against his skin and _screamed. _

“You really are the most dramatic human. Even as a thrall, and that usually calms your lot down.”

“Woonie already drank! I’ll die if you take anymore! Don’t, please!” Jaehwan begged, trying to swallow the lump in his throat, ignore the hitch in his breath. Hongbin turned them around to face the mirror on the wall opposite. The body lying beneath. One hand pressed Jaehwan’s forehead.

“Look at what you two did. Did you want Woonie out of the picture so you could have all the attention, hm? Did you convince Shikkie to kill his sire, his mate?”

Jaehwan squeezed his eyes shut, trying his best not to cry. “No! We didn’t- didn’t _plan_ anything! We were just playing! Just playing, he just- it was too much to handle! Shik wasn’t himself, he didn’t do it consciously! It was instinct or something please, just let go of me!”

_Baby, baby help-_

Jaehwan’s call cut off as static filled his head. The _sting._He heard Hongbin groan softly, felt the blood leave his body with every pulse of his traitorous heart. His head lolled, muscles going slack, letting the monster hold him up as it drank. Pins and needles in the tips of his fingers-

_He isn’t, tell me he fucking isn’t!_

_Baby..._

The term of endearment was all Jaehwan could manage just then, the only small bit of coherency he could muster. Jaehwan’s hands came up, clinging to Hongbin's forearm like an anchor as his blood oozed into Hongbin’s mouth. His eyelids fluttered, lips parting on an empty sigh. 

“They always say that fear ruins the taste, but I disagree,” Hongbin murmured, smacking his lips and licking kittenishly at the fresh wound on Jaehwan’s neck. “I think it makes you sweeter. Like seasoning.” 

“You’re a monster, I don’t know how Hakyeon finds it in himself to love you,” Jaehwan whispered, voice hoarse, blinking tears from his eyes. Hongbin’s arm was locked around him like the body of a coiled serpent. Impossible to escape. Might as well surrender. Surrender to the vampire. It wasn’t like it would be the first time. 

_Don’t you dare, Love. Stay strong for me._

Hongbin chuckled against his jaw. “You know, many people have said that before. I think, when you get right down to it, we’re _all_monsters,” he replied, tender voice a kind of deceit. 

_He’s just doing this to mess with you, to mess with me. He's a sadistic little shit._

_Where are you?_

_Running through the woods like a god damn jackrabbit, I almost got him. _

_Baby, save me..._

Jaehwan yelped as those fangs pierced him again, fear rising in his gut. Fingers curling, struggles weakening, fangs sinking ever deeper. The smell of iron and copper mingling in the air around them, Jaehwan felt himself starting to go numb from blood loss. Again. 

_Did you tell him that if he keeps drinking, he’ll kill you?_

_Yes..._

_Did you tell him that if he keeps drinking, I’ll kill him?_

_No..._

_Tell him._

“No more killing,” Jaehwan whispered aloud, “Please, no more.” He whimpered in pain, or was it pleasure? He hated this monster, hated the ground it fucking walked on and he hated that this monster could make him feel this way. 

The room around him burned and blurred, his body going empty. “I’m going to die...”

“No, no you’re not,” the monster replied, licking at him again to seal the puncture marks. “No, you’re going to wait right here with me.”

_I'm almost there, Love. Hang on._

“Oh, I hear Shikkie... and he’s not alone...” Hongbin murmured, unconsciously rocking the human back and forth, much too gently.

“Just tell me why you're doing this? You think I'm nothing, why would you even bother?”

“The chaos amuses me, but more than that, I want to make _him_ hurt the way it hurts to see my best friends’ dead body. Oh, and I was hungry.” 

“And what about _my_best friend? Why does Shik keep saying he’s delusional?” Jaehwan asked, hoping that if Hongbin’s mouth was busy with talking, then he would stop biting. The monster chuckled again, an easy sound.

“The brat _is_delusional. He used to be so in love with Shikkie it was almost disgusting. He thought Shikkie would leave Woonie for him, didn’t understand the concept of ‘casual intimacy’. It was so, _so_pitiful, Yeon actually had to send him away. Needed space to clear the obsession out.”

“I don’t believe you,” Jaehwan breathed, but it was a lie. He could see it a bit, the way his best friend always hyper fixated on characters and fanboy'd over every celebrity he came across and got way too into video games. That kind of thing spreading to real relationships wasn’t a stretch. 

“Are you scared, little human?”

“Of who?”

“The brat.”

“No.”

“Of Shikkie, then? He did just murder his own mate right in front of you.”

“No, he didn’t mean it.”

The monster nipped at Jaehwan’s neck, just enough to break the skin once more. “I don’t even have to ask the last question; I can smell it on you. You’re terrified of me. Probably a smart choice.”

Footsteps, Jaehwan thought he heard footsteps and then his partner was in the room. Relief flooded the human so strong that it nearly stole his breath, closely followed by awareness of a tight knit ball of scarlet rage growing in his partners stomach. 

_Baby!_

“You’re so fucking dead,” Wonshik hissed. Hongbin began laughing again but he let Jaehwan go, backing away with his hands in the air.

“Oh dear, free meal aside, this was all worth it to see that look on your face.”

Wonshik snarled, he and Hongbin both blurring out of focus as Jaehwan’s knees buckled. Wonshik caught him, sinking to the floor and holding Jaehwan on his lap, brushing his hair off his face and rocking gently. 

_He took too much, Love, I can feel it._

_It’s okay, you’re here now._

_No, it’s not! He fucking touched you, he bit you, and I am going to kill him!_

Jaehwan nuzzled his partner's jaw, letting his eyes close, soaking up Wonshik’s unnatural warmth. 

_No killing. Can we just go? Did you find Hyuk-ah?_

_It doesn’t matter._

_Yes, it does! Hongbin said that he’s like, crazy or something._

_Crazy but ultimately harmless, let’s get outta here. Now._

Jaehwan silently thanked his partner for the accelerated healing he now possessed. He was already starting to feel more coherent, more present. And he could stand when Wonshik helped him to his feet. Aside from being so in tune with another person it was like they shared the same internal organs, the strength was Jaehwan’s favorite part of being a thrall. 

“The east wind cometh,” Hongbin whispered, somehow managing to make such quiet words sound singsong. And then Hakyeon was standing in the doorway, silver eyes flashing, Sanghyuk a pace behind. 

Jaehwan felt the chill in the air, the wave of ice that was _too many vampires nearby._And while it no longer struck him dumb with fear, it still wasn’t the most fantastic sensation. Sanghyuk was glaring at him over Hakyeon's shoulder, eyes that swirling molten gold that were twin to Wonshik’s piercing Jaehwan like daggers. 

“What have you done?”

Hakyeon’s voice was deathly soft, pupils dark and black as the pit. “He didn’t mean to, I know his thoughts, it wasn’t conscious!” Jaehwan exclaimed, mustering up a bravado that he didn’t truly feel. Hakyeon silenced him with a glare. 

“You ungrateful brat, you didn’t listen. I told you, Taekwoon told you. What did it? What drove you to murder your own mate and my first child?”

“Yeonnie, I love him! I didn’t want to hurt him it just happened, please, fix him!” Wonshik replied, Jaehwan drowning in second-hand heartache.

“I cannot fix him. He’s gone and it’s your fault, and now you are going to pay for what you’ve done.”

“But- but Yeonnie, you sired me too! You wouldn’t hurt me!”

“You are nothing to me. The only thing that ever was between us was our shared love for Taekwoon, and you gave all that up for this nothing. This human. You were always too greedy for your own good, Wonshik, all you ever did was hurt my child and now you’ve _killed_ him.”

Wonshik hugged Jaehwan tight, claws shredding through his insides and Jaehwan tried to patch them back up, tried to smooth over the ripples of agony, sew up the tears. 

_Baby, you’re okay, everything’s okay._

_No, it’s not. He’s going to kill me._

_He won't._

_He will, and then you’ll die too. _

“I have housed you and cared for you for the entirety of your immortal life, Wonshik, I taught you to hunt. I know _exactly_what kind of person you are. You will pay for this.”

Jaehwan licked his dry lips, tasting blood there. Hakyeon’s elegant hands curled into fists, Hongbin laughed, Sanghyuk glared. Wonshik shivered. 

“You have ten seconds.”

“What? You can’t be serious!”

“Oh, he is,” Hongbin murmured from behind them, “I suggest you start running.” 

Jaehwan looked at Wonshik. Wonshik looked at Jaehwan. A silent exchange of thought burning between them. Hakyeon had begun counting down, tension swirling in the air around them like smoke. 

_Run?_

_Run._

So, Jaehwan cradled in his partners arms, holding on tight, they _ran._

  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on fixing this for several weeks now because its original ending was atrocious lol. Please enjoy~

“You can make him all better, can’t you, Yeonnie?”

Sanghyuk blinked himself from his mild daze, peering around Hakyeon at the bloody mess staining everything in a ten-foot radius.

He ignored the tone Hongbin was using, a mocking and sarcastic baby voice that grated on the youngest vampires’ nerves like sandpaper being rubbed against an old chalkboard.

He ignored the soft sound of Jaehwan and Wonshik’s running footsteps outside, getting fainter and fainter the further away they got.

He ignored the scarlet gash that had been ripped right beside Taekwoon’s carotid artery.

All that Sanghyuk focused on in that moment was the blood currently being absorbed by the carpet’s thick midnight blue weave. It smelled like something that had once been a mouthwatering delicacy, but was then fed through a ten-year-old and never-cleaned garbage disposal.

The undertones still lingered. Jaehwan’s smell, like night blooming flowers opening up beneath a waxing mood. His adorable little Hwannie hyung, his best (only, really) friend outside of the family, who also happened to be Sanghyuk’s regular sustenance supplier. That breathtaking aroma now all tangled up with the smell of Wonshik. Wonshik, his favorite nestmate, the person he used to treasure above every other living creature on the planet. The reason for his continued existence.

But then it had been _processed._ Circulated through Taekwoon’s veins and utterly ruined. The oder made Sanghyuk’s nose wrinkle unconsciously.

“Of course, I can fix him,” Hakyeon murmured, kneeling beside Taekwoon’s chilly body and rolling up his sleeves. “You’d think Wonshik would have realized by now that one cannot kill a vampire by letting it _bleed_ to death.”

“I figured,” was the snarky retort. Hongbin slunk over to their Sire and ran his fingers through Hakyeon’s hair.

Sanghyuk presses his lips together in a thin line. Displeased but trying not to show it.

“What was that nonsense you were telling him about Taekwoon being his Sire? I could hear your laughter from miles away,” Hakyeon asked, glancing at his mate as he began rolling up his sleeves.

Hongbin snickered. “It was just that, nonsense. But he’s stupid enough to believe it and I figured it would hurt his feelings. He deserved it for doing this to Woonie. Payback.”

Hakyeon shifted Taekwoon around so his head was facing straight up at the ceiling. Hands gentle and movements measured as to avoid further damage.

“You playing along was a nice touch, though, I must say.”

“As you said, he deserved it. The boy has been getting on my nerves for weeks.” There was a hint of menace in the reply. A drop of the cruelty that Hakyeon usually concealed so well. In moments like this, his and Hongbin’s compatibility was much less of a mystery.

Sanghyuk cleared his throat. “How can you fix-“ vague hand waving in the direction of Taekwoon’s body, “-this mess?”

Satisfied that his eldest child was positioned correctly, Hakyeon sat back on his heels with a quiet sigh. “He is blood of my blood. Isn’t it obvious?”

It _wasn’t_ obvious to Sanghyuk, but he opted to keep his mouth shut rather than admit ignorance.

“Help me with this, Kongie, would you?”

Hakyeon extended his arm and his mate took it, coming to kneel at their Sire’s side. He cradled Hakyeon’s hand almost lovingly. The kind of gentleness Hongbin reserved for his mate alone. Lifting that hand to his mouth and biting gently at the inside of Hakyeon’s wrist.

“Thank you, sweetheart, I was never good at the self-injury aspect of this ordeal,” Hakyeon hummed, retracting his hand and dribbling a few drops of his blood into Taekwoon’s slack mouth.

Sanghyuk sat there, entirely still, not even daring to breathe.

He _hoped_ it wouldn’t work. _Prayed_ it wouldn’t work. This, Taekwoon being out of the picture, would solve so many problems for the youngest vampire.

Wonshik could be his. _Finally._ It was a concept that Sanghyuk had never really given up on even after all this time. Even after his soul-searching trip abroad where he’d mingled with foreign vampires. Drank Bloody Martini’s (an aptly named cocktail that basically did exactly what it said on the tin; 2 parts citroen vodka, 1 part ginger liquor, a splash of blackberry syrup, served with a syringe full of fresh blood as a sort of garnish) with a collegiate coven in New York. Hunted inside Berlin’s underground clubs. Briefly shacked up with a truly ancient wanderer, a small and delicate vampire boy who’d been turned sometime in the 1600’s but had never really aged past 19.

He’d lived more than enough for any average person and yet, when he’d returned home, Wonshik had burst back into the forefront of his consciousness like a lightning strike. None of his adventures mattered, how could they have, without Wonshik at his side. They’d been lovers when he was a human, fuck buddies at the very least. And Sanghyuk had never been able to understand why that had to end when he turned.

But then there was Jaehwan. His sweet, stubborn, adorable Hwannie hyung with that floral perfume and saccharine blood. The most precious, most lovely, most vulnerable creature Sanghyuk had ever met.

Sanghyuk loved him too. Loved spending time with Jaehwan. Loved the sound of his laughter and his pouty face. Loved the little noises he made when Sanghyuk drank from him, those quavering moans that leaked from his throat, sleep soft and as drowsy as a newborn kitten in Sanghyuk’s arms.

Taekwoon leaving the picture would increase Sanghyuk’s chances of getting them back tenfold.

But to Sanghyuk’s utter dismay, the wound on Taekwoon’s throat began to close up. His already fast vampiric healing had been sped up, color returning to his body, a flush of life, silver eyes flying open with a gasp.

“Welcome back, my darling,” Hakyeon hummed, brushing the blood-matted hair from Taekwoon’s forehead and petting his cheeks. “How are you feeling?”

“Thirsty.” Taekwoon’s high voice was nothing but a dry rasp and it grated on Sanghyuk’s overly sensitive eardrums.

Hakyeon hummed wordlessly once again, straightening the torn fabric of Taekwoon’s shirt with his long, nimble fingers. “That’s good, my darling. You’ll need to hunt now and regain your strength.”

Taekwoon’s eyes flashed at the word ‘hunt’. Irises positively glowing with bloodlust. He licked at his dry lips. “Where is Wonshik.”

It was phrased as a statement rather than a question and Sanghyuk flinched minutely.

“Never you mind, my darling. Never you mind. Go hunt with Kongie while I collect your mate and bring him home. The sun is going to rise soon, you two had better hurry.”

Their Sire’s voice was coaxing and warm, sweet as nectar. He smiled at his eldest fledgling and squeezed Taekwoon’s shoulders before helping him to his feet.

“Come on, Woonie, let’s go have a snack.” Hongbin flashed a single fangy grin, and then he and Taekwoon had flit from the room at a run.

“And how,” Sanghyuk murmured, edging carefully around the room so he could peer out the window at the slowly lightening sky, “do you propose to find Wonshik? He has a solid head start. He and Jaehwan could be miles away by now.”

Hakyeon stood, the smile never once leaving his face as he wiped his hands on the front of his shirt and shook the hair from his eyes. “I’m his Sire, puppy. He is my fledge just as you are. I’ll always be able to find him when he needs me,” he replied, gliding from the room.

For lack of any better ideas, Sanghyuk trailed after him. Down the hallway and then turning right into Wonshik and Taekwoon’s bedroom.

“And-“ a tinkling laugh that gave the young vampire chills, “-a little illusion work never goes amiss.”

Oh. That.

Unlike his nestmates, Sanghyuk was a Daylighter. He could walk around outside, feel the sun kiss his face without any discomfort at all. The others could go out during the day of course, but it wasn’t easy. Dark sunglasses and black umbrellas to keep the sun from cracking their skin.

Daylighter’s were rare. Sanghyuk had been told that only maybe one in every hundred turnings resulted in a vampire with his ability. And the vampire population was already so small that he’d only met one other like himself.

But Hakyeon was noble. A direct descendent of vampiric royalty, cousin to their queen. He’d been born this way, not turned. And that made him even rarer than Sanghyuk.

His rarity, the strength of his bloodlines, came with a whole suite of powers Sanghyuk could only dream of. The ability to turn humans, for one, was something that only a true born vampire could do. That was why drinking Wonshik’s blood had made Jaehwan a thrall, a half-blood, rather than an actual vampire. Because Wonshik wasn’t noble. If it had been Hakyeon’s blood Jaehwan had drunk, then he’d have turned.

But that was only one aspect of Hakyeon’s power and Sanghyuk assumed that it was the other aspects Hakyeon intended to employ.

Sanghyuk watched his Sire enter the walk-in closet and pull one of Taekwoon’s sweaters down from a shelf. Stripping out of his own clothes in a businesslike fashion and changing into those belonging to his eldest fledgling. To mask his scent, if Sanghyuk had to guess.

Satisfied with his outfit choice, Hakyeon let out a slow, measured breath. Closing his eyes and turning his focus inward. And then he began to change. Growing a few inches taller. Color bleeding out of his hair as the strands grew maybe an inch longer. Legs stretching and thinning slightly. Shoulders broadening. Just like that, Taekwoon was standing in the closet where his Sire had been, radiating health and strength and power.

Self-glamour. Not the hypnosis the rest of them could do. This ability to change his physical form like a mirage and take on the features of another had always frightened Sanghyuk a bit but he didn’t let on that he was unnerved by the transformation.

Hakyeon pivoted to peer at himself in the floor to ceiling mirror. A single contented sigh. “Would you like to accompany me, puppy?”

Sanghyuk gave a jerky half-nod. The question had been asked airily, an exact mimicry of Taekwoon’s high, chilly voice.

“Excellent. Because I'm fairly certain I know where they’ve run off too.”

A final once-over in the mirror and then Hakyeon darted to the young vampire’s side, sliding his now unfamiliar feeling hand into Sanghyuk’s. Weaving their fingers together as they left the mansion at a dead sprint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come ;)

**Author's Note:**

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